KOTOR 2 Mhi Solus Tome
by The Hark-ness monster
Summary: The exile is just looking to repair her ship on Dxun, the mandalorian base of operations when something unexpected happens... To her surprize, it's not memories of war that await her here, but instead, a charming mandalorian.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A change of plans

"Lovely, just lovely." A vacation to the dangerous, rainy, jungles of Dxun wasn't exactly what Arani had in mind. "Atton, how long do you think it will take to repair the ship?" She followed Atton out of the Ebon Hawk to inspect the damage.

"I don't know, but plan to be here at least two weeks. And that's if I can find all the parts I need."

"Damn! You serious?"

"Arani! Such language!" Atton laughed at his sarcastic comment. "Come on, lighten up. A little side trip wont do any harm."

The jedi sighed. "Well there's not much we can do about this now."

They re-entered the ship and the whole crew greeted them, awaiting the Jedi's orders. "Alright T3. You stay and help Atton with the ship. Visas and Bao-Dur, come with me."

The party the exile had selected stepped out onto the surface of Dxun, the air was warm and damp.

"Of all the moons to land on, why did it have to be this beast infested jungle?"

* * *

Not long after they left the Ebon Hawk and fought off several packs of wild beasts, they came across a pile of junk that was apparently once a ship.

"Looks like we're not the only ones disappointed to be here. These guys are gonna be stuck here longer than we are," Bao-Dur said sarcastically. It was obvious that the ship was beyond repair…and that no one had survived the crash. They approached the ruins and there lay a scorched corpse. "This must have been a republic ship from the battle of Dxun."

They searched the ship and found a few things, but everything else useful was either inaccessible or crushed by the rubble on top. So they left the fallen soldier and his ship in their resting place.

Soon enough, the group came upon another pile of wreckage. Three Duros stood infront of it. The leader approached Arani and spoke.

"We have had a very fine chase, human, but I'm afraid it has come to an end. Throw down your weapons, for your bounties are worth more if you are very much alive."

"I don't think so," Arani said casually. "Who are you?"

"I am Dezanti Zhug. I-"

"Ahhhh, the Zhug family." Arani cut him off.

"Yes," the Duros continued. "I'm afraid the exchange has put a bounty on your head and my family has accepted the job."

"Did they now? Well that's too bad, seeing as you won't live to collect that bounty." The Jedi's blade buzzed to life.

"I think you'll find we will, Jedi. Attack!"

The aliens behind Dezanti sprung to life, but Visas and Bao-Dur were quicker. A few shots fired, a few blades clashed, but the battle was nothing extravagant.

"We best continue," Visas suggested, sheathing her vibroblades.

"We had better be cautious, general," Bao-dur added. "I don't think many have made it through the thick forests of Dxun.

* * *

"This place is so eerie…" Visas said, her voice echoing in the canyons of the jungle. "I can almost feel a presence here…like we're being watched." Too late. A group of mandalorians appeared in front of them. "Ah, now I know why," she added.

"Don't move," a mandalorian clad in red armor threatened. "We have you surrounded." Several more mandalorians let down their stealth generators. "I'm surprised you made it this far. The jungle usually doesn't let its prey go that easily."

"You'll find I'm full of surprises," Arani shot back

Ignoring that comment the mandalorian said, "Why are you here?"

"Our ship was damaged and we were forced to land. While the pilot stayed behind to make repairs, my friends and I decided to go exploring.

"Well the area you're "exploring" is mandalorian territory. I'm afraid you'll have to come with us. Our leader gave us orders to take you to him. He wishes to speak with you."

"Very well, lead on."


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Out of place

"So you're the intruder." Mandalore stood before her. "We picked up traces of your handiwork in space. I am Mandalore, leader of the mandalorians."

"Yeah, again, I'm sorry for bothering you. My name is Arani Shay. We are trying to get to Onderon. Do you have transportation we could use?"

"I do make occasional trips to Iziz for supplies, but if you want to go with me you'll have to prove yourself."

"Oh I see." Arani was not surprised. She figured transportation would not be free. "How can I do that?"

"Ask around. See if you can make yourself useful. I'm sure my boys have something you can do. Something that will show what you're made of."

Arani smiled "Very well, I'll show you what I'm made of. I'll bet you'll be surprised,"

"Alright, mouth, my next trip to Iziz will be in a few days." Arani turned to leave. "Oh, and Jedi, be careful in that jungle."

Arani had sent Visas and Bao-Dur back to the Ebon Hawk before she went in to talk to Mandalore. It felt kind of strange to be wandering around by herself, and to be the only female in the whole camp but it felt good to be on her own. Besides, she could take care of herself. She needed a break from everyone fussing over her. Here, at least she could be treated like a normal person.

She stepped around a wall of the ruins and found herself among several mandalorians gathered around a dirt circle. Within the circle were two more mandalorians sparring.

She stood there for a few minutes spectating, but when she moved slightly, she was noticed by a mandalorian sergeant.

"So, the Jedi comes to grace us," he said with sarcasm. "The battle circle is only for true warriors. Your jedi ways won't help you here."

"What are you saying?" Arani narrowed her eyes.

"I'm _saying_ the jedi rely too much on their vaunted powers. They loose touch with their arms and legs. Without your powers you would be no match for even the lowest of mandalorian warriors. There is no honor in the way you fight."

Arani just laughed. "Tell me the rules of your circle and I will show you honor."

"Alright Jedi, there are two simple rules; once you enter the circle you do not leave until your opponent is defeated. The second is never kill anyone in the circle. Any additional rules are decided by the warrior that you challenge. Since this is your first battle your opponent will make the rules. Was all that clear?"

"As day."

"Alright, because you are new here you will fight Davrel. Davrel is our least experienced warrior here. Davrel," the sargent yelled to a mandalorian across the circle. "What are your terms?"

"No weapons and no jedi tricks. No items either. Just fist and foot. A true test of strength," Davrel replied.

"You sound so sure of yourself," Arani said to his masked face as she stepped into the circle.

"I am."

"Don't be." She glared into his visor. She could not see his eyes but he could see hers, and they were like ice.

"Alright Jedi. You heard the terms. Now put away your weapons and prepare to fight," the sergeant said.

The fight began. Davrel threw the first punch which was immediately stopped by Arani. After a few minutes, the battle (if it could even be called that) was over. Arani ended it with a swift kick to Davrels armored chest.

"The battle is over, the jedi is victorious," the mandalorian sergeant announced.

Arani looked around at the circle spectators. She saw a few men looking very disappointed as they handed a comrade several credits. She looked back at where Davrel had fallen but he was long gone.

Apparently the sergeant was not impressed. "Davrel is only a recruit. You will have to do more than that to earn our respects. Another challenger has requested to fight you. It would be sufficient to accept his request."

"Perhaps tomorrow," Arani sighed, although she could not see the position of the sun behind the clouds, she felt weary and longed for rest.

"Very well. Let me know if you wish to fight again."

"Of course. Plan on seeing me again." She dipped down into a quick bow and began to walk away from the group of warriors.

"Oh, and jedi." She swiveled around to face the sergeant. "Don't get a big head."

* * *

Arani was headed for the exit of the camp when a guard stopped her.

"Going into the jungle after dark would not be a wise idea. Even if you are a jedi."

"I'm sure I'll be just fine," she said sticking her nose in the air.

"Don't be so sure. I've heard the animals prefer people with attitudes." Arani glared at the man. "Look, if you feel like getting mauled by packs of wild beasts with no one for backup, don't let me stop you, but I can guarantee you none of us will come to save you."

Arani sighed, she knew he was right. She was alone, the sun had set and most of the monsters of Dxun were nocturnal and the darkness of the jungle did not seem as welcoming as the lively Mandalorian camp.

"Where will I stay then?" she asked the guard.

"Ask Mandalore. I'm sure he has a place for you."

And so Arani left the guard at his post and headed in the direction of Mandalore.

"Here." Mandalore opened the door opposite the main computer. "I hope this is enough."

The room was small; perhaps its original intent was for storage or droid maintenance. Now there was a bed, a few lockers, and several plasteel containers that smelled of grease and scrap metal. It wasn't much but Arani figured it was better than sharing the Ebon Hawk barracks with little-miss-perfect Handmaiden, and I-talk-in-third-person-in-my-sleep Visas.

"It's practically home. Hell, its better than home." Arani perched herself on the edge of the bed.

"Wow," Mandalore said, surprised. "You must have one helluva junk heap home then." he laughed and Arani smiled. She never would have imagined the battle hardened warrior laughing so lightheartedly.

* * *

Though the bed was considerably more comfortable and peaceful than the barracks, Arani found sleep hard to come by. After she lay awake for almost an hour she decided to get up and enjoy the cool night air.

She slipped on her brown boots and jedi robe and opened the door. Loud beeps and wurring sounds from the computers filled her ears. It was unreasonably loud compared to the quiet of her room.

She then stepped out into the fresh air of the jungle moon and inhaled deeply. She loved the way the moon smelled. Of rain and dirt. Walking towards the battle circle now, her thoughts went to Atton. She greatly hoped that he had gotten her message letting him know where she was. The unpleasant thought of him scouring the jungle in search of her in the early morning hours was interrupted by the beautiful scene that lay before her. Tucked away in a corner of the camp was a great crater, no doubt left from the mandalorian wars. A wide, shallow puddle of water now lay on the bottom from the excessive rain. The blue light of one of Dxun's sister moons reflected off the pool in the most beautiful way. The image was dreamlike.

Arani found herself a small rock and sat, beholding the beauty of the jungle. Once more her thought were interrupted, this time by a rough voice coming from behind.

"I believe you're in my spot."

Arani jumped and swiveled her head around. A mandalorian was walking towards her.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She stood and looked around nervously. This earned a chuckle from the man.

"I'm only kidding," he said as he sat down on the rock next to hers. He gave her a sideways glance with one eyebrow raised. "So you're the jedi everyone's been talking about."

"Yeah, I guess I am." She sat back down.

"I saw your duel in the battle circle. It was…impressive. I'm not surprised that Davrel was beaten but I saw your technique and fighting style. It highly exceeded my expectations."

"Thank you. Frankly it seems you're the only one here who isn't looking to kick me out of here."

"Nah, they're all good guys. They just aren't used to having a jedi around…let alone a woman."

"Oh, I see."

"They'll come around. Once you prove yourself."

"Ha, yeah. Well I'll show them." she smiled at him.

"Well, I hope you do. Some of them need a good swift kick in the ass."

"Don't worry. By the time I leave here, I'm gonna make a name for myself in the mandalorian community."

"Your very confident. I like that. What can I call you?"

"Arani. And you?"

"I'm Kelborn." He stood. "Well I think im gonna go try to get accustomed to my new quarters. Someone stole my previous one."

"Wow, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, not what I was expecting to hear considering you're the thief." he smiled a charming, crooked smile.

"Ohhhhh…" Arani understood now, blushed and looked at her feet.

"It's alright. I'd rather have you stay there than be sleeping in your grave, because you would have been if you went into that jungle."

"Well, I thank you, for being the only gentleman in this camp."

"What can I say." he bowed. "Well it was nice meeting you Arani. I'll see you around."

"Yes you will." It was here that they parted, both returning to their respective rooms.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

In the circle, on the field

Kex stood at the opposite side of the dirt circle. He looked plenty ready to kill the young Jedi he was facing. This battle was to be the same as the last; hand to hand, no weapons, no tricks. When the fight began Kex charged. He was a fierce fighter and determined to prove himself, but he wasn't going to do that today.

The fight was pretty evenly matched for almost a minute, then Arani's sharp eyes noticed something; the slightest hesitation in her opponents left foot. It had probably been weakened by some battle injury. Arani took advantage of this, staying to his right side making it easier to predict his blows. With a couple of jabs and kicks Kex gave in.

"Well, well, the Jedi is once again victorious," the sergeant said as Arani left the circle following a brief round of applause.

"Don't sound so surprised," she smirked.

"Ha! I'm not impressed…yet. Win one more round and you may get some respect around here."

"Bring it on." She stood on the edge of the circle and prepared to duel again.

"Anyone else interested in dueling the Jedi?" the sergeant announced. There was silence for a spell until one man spoke up.

"I am," he said and he emerged from the crowd. He was wearing blue armor, just like Davrel and Kex.

"Ah, Tagren. Very well," he turned to Arani. "Since he challenged you, you get to choose the terms."

"Ah, what the hell. Same as usually. Nothing extra."

"Hmfp, honorable….but predictable. Very well. Leave your weapons and items outside of the circle and prepare to fight."

The jedi and her opponent then shed anything they could not legally use and stepped into the dirt pit. Arani smirked as she slowly walked around the ring. She expected the warrior to say some rude or cocky remark, but he didn't. He kept to himself.

When the fight began Arani noticed he was considerably stronger than the first two opponents. After a few minutes she was beginning to get frustrated. Tagren knocked her down with a swift swing of his arm, and she thought he was going to win. Then she realized she did not have to give up. She channeled every once of anger or frustration she could find and used it to her advantage, turning it into energy. As he went in for the final blow, she rolled back and launched her feet into his armored chest. She then used that momentum to jump off the ground and land back on her feet.

While her opponent was down, she gracefully rested her foot on his helmet.

"Ooop," she said mockingly, "did the big mandalorian fall down?"

Around the circle you could see that some were fans of the cocky jedi, while some were not. Some laughed and cheered and others just glared.

She released Tagren's head from under her boot and before he turned away, she looked where she guessed his eyes would be under his helmet. "Kandosii, vod," she said. Tagren seemed a little surprised, but responded with a slight nod of his head.

As she stepped out of the ring, she faced the sergeant.

"So, the Jedi speaks mando."

"Eh, I did a little research," she said with a sarcastic smile.

"Well you are just full of surprises aren't you?"

Arani smiled and walked away.

"Hey Jedi," Mandalore called to Arani. "Great job in the battle circle but you're gonna need to do more than that to show what you're really made of."

"Yeah, I realize that. You got anything in mind?"

"Yeah, I just sent out a scout to patrol and area where a ship may have landed. He should be in the western part of the jungle. I want you to go out and find him and maybe you can help him search the area."

"You got it, chief."

She began to walk past him when he added, "Hey, just mention that I sent you. He kind of has a big head and he won't be in a good mood if he realizes I thought he might need help…especially from a jedi," he paused, "no offense."

She smiled and saluted.

Back at her room, Arani put on her armor shin guards and gauntlets. They came in handy when fighting the beasts of the Dxun jungles. Along with he lightsaber she grabbed a pistol, just in case. She flipped up her hood and began her jungle hike.

Arani stepped out of the camp and traveled down the winding path until she reached the clearing where the four paths meet. Normally there would be a small group of mandalorians standing around the fire there but today there were none.

She took the path to her right and headed into the western end of the jungle. Although she was confident she could handle the hidden monsters on her own, being in the jungle unsettled her. She quickened her pace just slightly and hoped she found this scout before some beasts found her.

Sure enough, several yards down the path she spotted a mandalorian in red armor. "Hey, you! What are you doing out here? This jungle is dangerous," Arani pulled off her hood, "even for your kind," he added when he realized who she was. "Why are you out here anyway? Im the only one supposed to be patrolling this area."

"I heard about the ship that landed here and I though I would check it out."

"Ha, well Mandalore canceled all other patrols in the jungle and I think that includes you."

"Alright fine, I'll just take my force powers and lightsaber back inside and we'll see how you do all by yourself out here," she started walking back towards camp.

"Wait, maybe you could be useful. You have proven yourself by making it this far. Alright, you want in?"

"Wait, you're Kelborn, aren't you?"

"Oh, yeah I guess I should have mentioned that. I get so used to being in this helmet I forget that people can't see into it," Arani smiled. "Well, anyway, I don't know how much you heard about this ship but it slipped in real quietly. We're guessing it is a freighter or dropship. It kept its ion emissions to a minimum. Our sensors almost didn't pick it up."

"Ah. Sneaky bastards. You find anything?"

"Just this corpse here and pretty green too. He looks like some kind of scout."

"He probably got jumped by some of those freaky beast things."

"The cannoks? Yeah, nasty little things. Whoever these people are they're either unarmed or not so bright. You'd have to be a fool to travel alone in this jungle."

"Isn't that what you're doing?" Arani pointed out.

"Well yes, but I am a highly trained and experienced mandalorian scout. And if I do say so myself, I'm the best that there is, sweetheart. I could take down a whole pack of cannoks with my bare hands."

"Wow, Mandalore was right."

"What?"

"Nothing, go on."

"Hmm, well anyway, this scout must not have been the only one lurking around here. With your help I could take them out a lot faster. You up for some action?"

"I'm always up for a fight."

Kelborn smiled under his helmet, "good to hear it. I'll take up a position to the east, you go west. When you complete the loop meet me back here."

"You go it," she said and continued on the path she was on.

_Mandalore was right,_ she thought to herself _he is arrogant _ but she admired his confidence. After all, he wasn't too different from Atton. _Blast!_ Atton. She had forgotten about him completely. Oh well. She had left him a message last night and it wasn't too late in the day, she would contact him later. She hoped he wasn't too worried…

Her thoughts of Atton were interrupted by two scouts a little way up the path in front of her. _Just who I'm looking for._

She planned on stopping them for questioning but before she could she overheard them say; "I hope this mission is worth it to the colonel. If not…" It was at this point that they noticed her. "That's her! Get her!"

"Oh, that's not good," Arani said to herself as she drew her lightsaber just in time to deflect a blaster bolt coming right for her head. The bolt reflected off the yellow blade and hit the woman scout in the arm. They continued racing towards her. She pulled out her pistol and shot the man in the torso. The woman was now close enough for Arani to strike her down and she did just that.

She put away both weapons and knelt down to search them. They didn't have much, a few credits, a medpack. She stood and continued on her way.

Before long she stumbled upon four more scouts but Arani didn't have to do much because the beast had found them first. She pulled out her blaster and shot all of the scouts, sparing them a painful death. When they were dead, the beasts charged for her. She shot the first two in the face and killed the last ones with her lightsaber.

She walked up to the dead scouts and searched them. Again, nothing useful.

The jedi continued on her way but found no one else on the western paths of the jungle. She met back up with Kelborn who now held his helmet under his arm and she could see the face that she knew as Kelborn's.

"I found more of their scouts," he said as he saw her approach, "but they started shooting as soon as they saw me. I heard blaster fire coming from deeper in the jungle. You find anything?"

"Yeah, I found a few groups of scouts and they weren't in the mood to talk either."

"I'm surprised they wouldn't talk to you. I thought their grudge was only with mandalorians."

"Well I think they were looking for me. I came across one group and the leader's last words were; That's her! Get her!" she said with a hint of humor.

Kelborn laughed and said, "Well, I don't think anyone has to worry about a bunch of inexperienced soldiers. Especially you. You can certainly take care of yourself. Plus you got the whole mandalorian camp watching your back…but with me on your side, who needs the rest of them?" He laughed again.

Arani smiled and they stood there for a moment in silence but before long Kelborn chimed in again.

"Well, anyway, the scouts. You find out anything else from them?"

"They mentioned something about a colonel."

"Colonel? Could be Colonel Tobin."

"Yeah, he's the one who opened fire on our ship and forced us to land here."

"Oh, you've made some dangerous enemies, my friend. Tobin is general Vaklu's personal kath hound. He was probably acting on Vaklu's orders when he shot you down."

"So who is this Vaklu?"

"He's the cousin of Queen Talia, and in charge of the Onderon military. He led the Onderon resistance when we occupied their world during the wars. He was a worthy foe, maybe more than a match for you."

"Hmm, well, I'll take your word for it."

"Well, Mandalore needs to know about the scouts. I'll let him know your role in dealing with them."

"Don't let me keep you here."

"You shouldn't stay out here for much longer by yourself. There are probably more of Tobin's scouts out there."

"Yeah, I'll head in soon."

"Alright, and one more thing about the battle circle. I heard you beat Kex and Tagern. Not bad. Perhaps we could face each other there," he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and winked, "see you at camp."

Arani stood there for a moment, dazed.

_Wow_… she thought, then immediately shook her head to clear her thoughts. "_Are you kidding? You're a Jedi now. You can't fall for a mandalorian, especially one that you fought in the war, just because he flirts with you! _ She had to stay focused, so she tried to forget about the charming warrior and continued on her way back to camp. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Full of surprises

That night, Arani sat on her bed not quite sure what to do. She had too much energy to sleep and her mind was running wild. The excitement and energy of the mandalorian way of life kept her awake. She was now beginning to wonder if she had chosen the right side in the mandalorian wars.

_Would it really have been terrible if the mandalorians controlled the galaxy?_ she though to herself. She loved their way of life and sense of brotherhood. _No wonder they were hard to defeat. _They had certainly earned her highest respects.

She stood up and slipped on her brown boots. She wanted to explore the camp a little more. She activate the door controls and walked outside.

It was not raining, a rare occasion on Dxun. The sky was clear as well, an even rarer occasion, and she could see the stars clearly. She stood there for a little while admiring the tiny gems high above. She could also see Onderon and she wondered if the residents there were looking at Dxun right now. She doubted it. People there were too caught up in their city lives. They didn't appreciate the natural beauty of the planet.

"Why is it that I keep running into you?"

Arani jumped. It was only Kelborn.

"Oh, hey there," she said as he walked closer. "Sorry, you scared me at first."

"Ah, no apologies. So are you nocturnal or something? You always seem to be awake at odd hours."

"Oh, no," she laughed. "I just…couldn't sleep."

He paused, "Is it the war?"

She turned to look at him. His face was very serious.

"Yeah, actually it is." She took a step closer.

"Yeah, I figured this place would do that to you. I see them too sometimes. The faces of those you fought with…of those you killed…"

They both shuddered. "Well, actually, that's not what was bothering me tonight."

"No?"

"Tonight I was thinking…if I had chosen the right side." She looked up into his soft, grey eyes.

"Really?" He smiled.

"Mhmm."

"Why would you second guess yourself?"

"I was thinking about your culture, your way of life…it's amazing!" Kelborn laughed and she continued, "Your camaraderie is like no other I've ever seen. It drives you. You feed off each others energy and it makes you almost impossible to defeat. And your morale, it seems unwavering! Maybe that's why your asses were so hard to kick," she smirked.

"You are absolutely right," It was then that she realized he had been creeping closer to her throughout their entire conversation. He was now only a few inches from her face. "And what do the Jedi have? Unlike you I don't have to second guess my decision because I know I chose the right side. We are the best at what we do, and that is fighting, because it's our entire way of life. We have been trained since we were only children."

"Um," Arani scoffed, "must I remind you who won that war?"

"Oh come on, we let you win! But if your really interested in our culture, maybe I could teach you some more about it sometime."

"Well, actually I was interested in seeing more of your camp. Would you mind showing me around?"

"Not at all, come on."

As they walked, Arani spoke. "When I came here I was really surprised at how I was treated. I thought I was going to have to use my lightsaber against more than the cannoks. I thought the mandalorians hated the jedi."

"No. We're taught not to. Mandalorians want to be tested to the limits of our abilities and beyond. We admire anyone who beats us on the battlefield. Instead of hate, we study, practice, and train because whoever looses is obviously doing something wrong. We prepare for the next conflict so we can then be victorious. But some of us do hold a grudge. Like Kex. You can usually find him hanging around over there," he pointed past Arani at a few boxes and a fire pit. "He's the quartermaster."

"Yeah, Mandalore told me about him."

"Yeah, well, unless you really need something, I wouldn't suggest going to him. He can be…bitter, to say the least. But other than him, the most of us around here really do respect you. And after defeating those scouts and three of our warriors in the battle circle, they will only respect you more." Now they had passed the training circle and were headed to the northern part of the camp. "So, have you been out in the jungle lately? No more scouts I presume?"

"Nope. All clear."

"I would assume so. Together we made short work of them. We made a pretty good team out there." Now they had passed the hangars and walked back around the battle circle.

"So, tell me more about the battle circle, Kelborn. It seems to be an important part of your culture."

"It is. It is where we train and keep our combat skills in shape in times of low action. It is also a place to gain honor among our ranks, as you recently discovered," he turned to her and smiled. "It is not a true test of a warrior but it echoes the thrill of real battle. The sergeant chooses who will duel, but I would eagerly fight you."

She turned to the mandalorian, "As would I."

"I noticed you killed more scouts than I. I am curious to see your handiwork first hand."

"Yeah, well, I hope you're a little tougher than those scouts."

He laughed. "Don't worry, I will be."

She smiled, "Good, I like a challenge."

"Alright, well, how about tomorrow? I've been waiting for an opponent as interesting as you."

"Deal." They shook hands.

They walked past the crater and were now back to where they had started their late night walk.

"Well, looks like this is your stop. I'm looking forward to our duel tomorrow." He leaned in closer and whispered in her ear, "You better not back out on me tomorrow. I must warn you, I'm the second best in our camp."

His charm caught her off guard but she was quick to reply, "Well, I'm not worried about anyone but the champion." He pulled away and stared into her eyes with a sly smile.

"Well you don't have to think about him until you defeat me. So for now I'm the only one you need to focus on." He turned and headed in the direction of the barracks. "Goodnight."

Arani headed back inside and laid down on her bed. She stared at the ceiling thinking about what had just happened.

She knew it was all just an attempt to distract her so she wouldn't fight well tomorrow…_but what if…_ _No_. She shook the thoughts out of her head. From then on she tried to get some sleep but it didn't come easily.

Arani rubbed her eyes. She had only gotten three hours of sleep last night. Kelborn's move had done its job

She now approached the circle and looked around. Kelborn wasn't there. _Seriously? I lose sleep over this and he doesn't even show up?_ She walked up and talked to the sergeant.

"Kelborn and I were supposed to fight today. Has he passed by?"

"You and Kelborn?" he scoffed, "I don't think so," he started to say something else but a mandalorian in red armor approached and cut him off.

"The jedi has proven herself worthy of the battle circle, sergeant, through deeds in battle and blood on field. She may challenge the champions of today and days past."

The sergeant turned back to Arani and said, "This is a great honor, jedi. Kelborn is one of our former champions. Ha! You haven't been here more than two weeks and you've already gained great prestige among our ranks. So you two are going to fight?" They both nodded. "Alright, well, Kelborn, what are your terms?"

"You know what," he replied, "let's make this interesting. Swords. No items, no force. Just a simple long blade."

"Alright, you heard him jedi. Here's a blade. Step into the circle and I'll start the fight." Kelborn walked past her to the other side of the circle. She didn't think it was very fair that Kelborn was in full mandalorian armor, but she didn't complain. All the more glory when she defeated him. She was wearing light armor of her own so she wasn't terribly worried.

The fight began and Kelborn charged. Arani stood her ground and braced herself. It was better to stand her ground with a good stance than charge and double the force of the impact.

Their blades clashed and Arani absorbed the force of the heavy mandalorian and directed it into the ground.

She shoved him back and went for an upper cut but he reacted quickly and blocked her. She twisted her blade out of the deadlock with his. She moved away now, slowly circling him. Now that she had more space she backed up and moved in for a power attack. He lifted his blade to block his head, where she was aiming. Her sword hit his shoulder instead. When she raised her blade, he slashed at her side. Direct hit, but she wasn't severely injured. She recovered quicker than he anticipated and caught him off guard with a critical strike, hitting him in both sides and shoulders. He stumbled backwards and she smiled at his lack of grace.

The fight went on mostly like this and quickened in pace the longer it went.

Finally, they were both wearing down. The mandalorian went in for the final strike. Kelborn's blade came down but she blocked it with her forearm which bore wrist guards that were, thankfully, strong enough to hold against the weak dueling swords. She kicked him in the chest and as he stumbled, she struck, right where the shoulder meets the neck. His armor was exceptionally weak there. Her opponent surrendered. Kelborn took of his helmet and laughed, even though he had been beaten. Arani smiled as well.

"The jedi is victorious." Arani walked up to the sergeant. "I…underestimated you. A difficult admission for a mandalorian. Well done." he extended his hand. She shook it. "Your next fight will be with our champion, Braylor. Expect the fight of your life."

"Ha! I'm sure I've been through much worse." She walked away from the circle and the mandalorians gathered around who were staring in awe.

Behind her she heard the sergeant say something to Kelborn but she couldn't make out any of the words. She then heard the sound of Kelborn's boots running after her.

When he caught up to her he said, "Now I see why we couldn't win against you during the war. Even at a great disadvantage, you still fight as brutally as a rancor."

"Yeah, well, not every jedi fights as I do. While they were sitting back "training" in the jedi temple, I was training in the field, and that is far more valuable."

"Very true." They stopped, not far from the overlook where they first met. "Great fight." he extended his arm and she took his hand expecting another handshake but instead he pulled her into a hug. "It was an honor."

Arani felt herself blush. He released her, smiled, and then walked back towards the battle circle.

_Wow,_ she thought to herself, _that mandalorian is just full of surprises._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Honor

"So, you're going to fight the champion today?"

"Yeah, Braylor," Arani explained to Bao-Dur.

Atton, Bao-Dur, Visas and Mira were all sitting around the main hold of the Ebon Hawk. Arani was telling them of all that had happened in the mandalorian camp. She had had little to no contact with them for nearly two weeks and only stayed on the Ebon Hawk for two days. It was obvious that Atton was annoyed with her for this, but Arani didn't seem to notice.

"So, what are they like, these mandalorians?" asked Visas in her gentle voice.

"They're amazing," Arani replied. "Some of them are a little suspicious of me but they'll loosen up. This one…never mind," she decided to leave Kelborn out of her story. She didn't wan the crew to know how attached she was getting to him.

"This one, what?" Bao-Dur prodded.

"Nothing." She stood. "I really should get back to the camp. They will probably think I backed out of the fight."

"Hey, good luck!" Mira called, "go get 'em girl!"

Arani grabbed her bag and headed for the ramp. Atton stood up from his chair and ran after her. He caught up to her at the bottom of the ramp.

"Hey, do you have to leave so soon?"

"Yeah, Atton. I'm sorry. I have to get back and see if I can get some transport."

"Well, I'll have the Ebon Hawk fixed up and running in about a week. Can't you just wait?"

"What's the point of waiting if we can get to Onderon now? Come on, Atton, it's not so bad." She was really just making excuses, like she did about the jungle and how much of a pain it was to get back to the Ebon Hawk. She could have come back to the ship more frequently if she wanted to, but she didn't.

Atton looked at her with sad eyes.

She sighed. "Alright, I'll come back after the fight and tell you all about it." She laid her hand on his cheek. Atton held her wrist to keep it there a little longer.

"Ok, be careful," he said as she began to walk away. "I love you," he called.

She turned around and blew him a kiss then switched on her lightsaber and proceeded through the jungle.

* * *

When she entered the camp, nearly every mandalorian stared. A small smile slid across her face. As she moved through the grass some of the mandalorians began to follow her, most of them whispering to a comrade. She heard words like "Braylor", "Jedi", "akaanir", and "ijaat" the mandalorian words for "fight" and "honor".

Kelborn walked out of the camp HQ and as he approached her she said, "I see the word has gotten around."

"It sure has."

"Good. I want everyone to witness it when I become the new champion of the battle circle."

"Yes, this will be interesting." They approached the battle circle now and the huge crowd surrounding it. She hadn't even seen that many mandalorians around the camp during her stay. "Are you ready?"

"Of course I am. If I wasn't I wouldn't be here." She shed her jedi robe to reveal her full body armor. She handed the robe to Kelborn.

The jedi made her way through the crowd and approached the sergeant. Braylor was already standing on the other side of the circle.

"Ah, you're here," the sergeant said as he saw her approach. "We have all looked forward to this fight."

"Let's not keep the crowd waiting any longer."

"Braylor, you are the champion. How would you fight the Jedi?"

"No terms today sergeant." When Braylor spoke the crowd quieted. "I will fight the jedi with all of her arsenal."

Arani was surprised but didn't argue. She looked back through the crowd and expected to see Kelborn behind her, but he was no where in sight. She didn't let it bother her. She knew he would be watching from somewhere in the crowd.

She stepped into the circle with confidence. The sergeant started the fight. Instead of charging, as she expected, Braylor took a few slow steps closer. "Let's get this over with," he said in the deep, rough voice of a hardened veteran.

Arani struck first. Her arm swinging around to hit the side of his helmet, but he was quick. He caught her arm and used his free hand to punch her right below her eye. She was stunned for a second or two. As Braylor held her right arm, she lifted the opposite leg, aiming for his side. He caught that too. He held her there for a moment and then slammed her down into the muddy earth.

She had the wind knocked out of her but when she recovered, she quickly jumped up.

"Hmph. Remind me again how you managed to beat us in the war?" Braylor mocked her.

Arani just glared. Her original plan to play fair was not looking so good now. She drew her throwing knives and braced herself. Instead of attacking first, she waited for her opponent, like a zaakeg waiting for its prey to wander into its lair.

Braylor fell for it. He charged and slammed into her. His hands gripped her shoulders and they fell. Hard.

He had pinned her down and her ears were ringing from the impact. She bent her leg and kneed him right where it hurts. As he crumpled, she leapt up and kicked him in the stomach. The two metal spikes on the toe of her boot left dents in the piece of armor protecting his abdomen. He clutched his stomach. Before Arani had a chance to retreat to a safe distance, he grabbed her ankle and pulled her back down. She landed face down this time. Braylor stomped his foot into the back of her knee and she heard it dislocate.

Arani screamed. She knew she had to make a quick recovery, so she reached out to the force to help her regain her focus and composure. She relocated her knee and sprang right up. She could now feel the blood from where he had punched her dripping down her face.

She huffed. It was time to ends this. She charged at him with the knives still in her hands. She jumped and, using the force, spun through the air and her feet hit him in the side of his shoulder and head. While he was on the ground, she smashed her foot onto his chest plate, pinning him down. She shoved the metal spikes of her boot under his helmet and kicked it off. She bent down, her knee now on his chest and punched him in the face three times.

Braylor flipped her over but she was able to grab hold of his arm so as she lay on her back she snapped his arm at the elbow. He clenched his teeth and tried not to cry out. She wasn't sure if she had broken it or just dislocated it but she didn't really care.

Arani rolled out from under him and as he lay there holding his injured arm, she sat on his chest and pressed each knife gently into the sides of his neck with just enough pressure to make him bleed. A single drop of her blood dripped from her cheekbone onto his. The mandalorian almost twice her size smiled and submitted.

The victorious jedi exhaled and stood. The crowd was silent...then it exploded into cheers and applause. Two mandalorians rushed onto the field and helped Braylor. Arani smiled and basked in her newfound glory. Hunched over, Braylor turned to the jedi and smiled, saying, "Well done, jedi." He was then carried off by his comrades.

"Arani!" She heard her name being yelled from the crowd. Then, Kelborn came rushing out, beaming. He ran at her and lifted her up in the air. They were both laughing.

He grabbed her face. "You won!" he screamed above the noise of the crowd.

Nodding, "I know," she laughed.

Kelborn released her face, put his arm around her and escorted her through the mass of mandalorians. As she moved through them, she felt several of them clap her on the back.

* * *

Arani sat on the lab station as Kelborn prepared some medicines to treat her injuries. He dabbed the cut under her eye.

"You were brilliant out there," he said and leaned over and prepared some bacta.

"I know," she smiled. It hurt to do so but she couldn't help it.

Kelborn now wiped her wound with a damp cloth soaked in bacta. It stung at first but then it turned cold and tingled. She could already feel the wound repairing itself. Arani held the cloth to her face as Kelborn moved to treat her knee.

He then unstrapped her boot and armor around her leg and slipped them off. He pulled back the body suit to inspect the damage.

"Hmm, well, you've got a nice big bruise here. Does it hurt to move your leg otherwise?"

"Yes," she said, reluctantly swinging her leg back and forth.

"Alright." He grabbed another cloth and thoroughly wrapped her knee. "Ok, any other injuries I should know about?"

"No." She leapt off the table. "Thanks." She gave him a big smile.

"No problem. Happy to help."

"Well, I should get back to the Ebon Hawk." She began to limp off. Kelborn grabbed her arm.

"Woah, woah. I don't think so! You can't make it through the jungle like that!"

"But I have to!"

"Alright, alright. At least let me escort you."

* * *

They finally arrived at the ship, Kelborn acting like a human crutch the whole way.

"Arani!" Atton saw them coming from where he was working on the top of the ship. He scrambled down, supported Arani's other side and whisked her away from Kelborn.

The mandalorian stood there for a moment, unsure if he was invited to enter the ship.

"Kelborn!" Arani called, "come on!" So he followed them aboard.

The crew assembled quickly when they heard of Arani's return.

"Oh my god," Bao-dur said when he saw her eye.

Atton sat her down in a chair and looked her in the eye. "How did this happen?" Are you alright?"

"Did you fight Braylor?" Mira said as she ran into the room.

"Guys, guys, stop fussing. I'm fine." She smiled at Kelborn. "I had a good doctor.

Everyone turned to see who she was smiling at.

"Who's this?" Mira asked.

"Everyone, this is Kelborn. He is the one who patched me up and helped me through the jungle. He's pretty much the first mandalorian I met when I got here. He's a friend, to say the least."

They all greeted him warmheartedly, except for Atton, he just glared.

"So, you fought the champ?" Mira asked again.

"Yep. That's where I got all these lovely injuries."

"I hope they were worth it," Bao-dur said. "Did you win?"

"She sure did," Kelborn said proudly as if he had won the fight himself. "You should have seen it. I've never seen anything quite like it."

"I don't mean to brag, but it was pretty awesome," Arani added.

"Nice!" Mira leaned over and gave Arani a high-five.

"Well, I should be heading back to camp," Kelborn said. "Are you going to stay here Arani?"

"Yeah. I'll probably stay here for the night and get back to camp in the morning."

"Alright, well if you need me you can reach me by comlink."

"Ven vaabir, nervod."*

"Akay nakar'tuur jetii."* Arani's response in mandalorian pleased him and he departed with a wink and a smile.

"Woah! I didn't know you spoke mandalorian. What did you guys say?" Bao-dur questioned.

"Oh, nothing important."

*"Will do, comrade."

*"Unitl tomorrow, jedi."

* * *

It was near midnight and everyone else had gone to bed except for Atton who she could still hear working on top of the ship. Arani was repairing the HK droid that was in a small storage room. She stood up and sighed. That was all she could do for now. She would have to ask Bao-dur to look at it in the morning.

Arani was headed off to her bunk when she heard Atton enter the ship.

"Hey," he said brushing off his hands.

"Hey. How are the repairs going?"

"Great, but we could be here another week."

"Oh, ok."

"That's quite a while. You don't seem too disappointed."

"No. I'm really starting to like it here."

"Really? I thought you'd hate it. You know with the war and everything." Arani was silent. "So, what about these mandalorians? Im really surprised by how they treat you. I didn't think they would be so…forgiving."

Arani turned to face him. "They're different than you think Atton."

"Ha! I doubt it. People don't just change Arani."

"What are you talking about?"

"During the war, they were brutal, ruthless killers."

"Well, god Atton! They were fighting a war! Did it ever occur to you that that's how we looked to them?"

"They are different than us Arani."

"You're damn right they are! The mandalorians are like no other people."

"Arani, what has gotten into you? You're the girl who gave up your life to fight these people and now all of a sudden you're standing up for them?"

"Because they're worth standing up for…" she lowered her voice.

"You shouldn't even be associating with them. There's no need to."

"They are good people!" This time her voice was even louder than before. "You're just so full of yourself you don't have any room to understand them!"

"I do understand them! They are nothing but senseless thugs!"

Arani just shook her head at him. "You have no idea do you? They are far better than you give them credit for. Well you know what? That's your loss because you will never be accepted into their culture because they don't respect people like you!"

"Woah, woah, ok, I'm sorry. I think we both just need some rest."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Good night, Atton," she said, calming down.

"Good night Arani." he kissed the top of her head. Arani wrinkled her nose but then gave him a small smile and headed off to bed.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The stranded mandalorian

Sitting with her legs over the edge of the bunk, Arani reached out to the force. She channeled the energy of the universe into her leg, thus healing it. She could now walk without a limp and decided to use her newfound energy to hike back to camp.

Arani passed Bao-dur on her way out, "Hey," he greeted her. "It's good to see you up and walking again General. You headed back to the mandalorian base?"

"Yeah. Hey, you want to come with?" She asked as she packed up her rucksack.

"Sure, why not? There's not much to do around here anyway. That stubborn son of a bitch won't let me help with the repairs. That's why we're gonna be here so long," he winked at her and then followed her out of the ship

* * *

They had just arrived at the camp when they passed a frustrated mandalorian.

"Sith's blood!" He yelled as they walked by. "Fixing anything in this rot infested jungle is an uphill battle."

"Hey," Arani tapped him on the shoulder, "can I be of any help here?"

"I don't know. I've seen you fight but how good are you with repairs? The jungle attacks anything made by man. Restoring the generators and computer systems is no easy task."

"Well, repairs aren't my strong point but I have a good man here who might be able to help," Bao-dur stepped up. "This is Bao-dur. He served with me during the war."

"Great. I'll take what ever help I can get. By the way, I'm Zuka, the camps main repair man."

"What's the problem?" Bao-dur asked.

"Well, I'm having some problems with the relay dish. Without that dish we are vulnerable to attack. especially after your little space battle. You may have attracted some unwanted attention and our sensors can't cover the whole moon"

"Alright. I'll take a look at it."

"Great. The broken cables are here, the relay maintenance structure is behind me and you can find the telemetry computer in a room on the other side of the camp."

Bao-dur walked away to start his repairs.

"Anything I can do?' Arani asked.

"Well if you want to put that lightsaber to work you can do a little cannok hunting for me."

"How does that help with your repairs?"

"Well, we need a new phase-pulse converter for the tracking computer and we found one in an old weapons cache a few weeks ago but flaming cannoks ate it."

"Cannoks ate it?"

"That's the problem with cannoks. They'll leave you alone if you keep your distance but if you turn your back on the pests, they'll eat anything they can get in their mouth."

"So how do you propose I find it?"

"Just gut every cannok you come across. They shouldn't be too hard to find since they usually travel in packs and stay close to their nests."

Arani sighed, "I'll keep an eye out for your converter."

"Alright then. Come back when you have it and we'll see about getting these systems working again."

Arani walked off, continuing through the camp. A few sparring mandalorians to her right caught her eye. She walked over to the group of men and stood off to the side, observing. She had been watching for a few minutes when a mandalorian in yellow armor appointed her.

"So you're the jedi the camp's been talking about. Are you planning on exploring the jungles to the south?"

"I might. Who are you?"

"I'm Xarga. I instruct the rawer recruits. I sent one of my warriors into the jungle three days ago. I want you to bring back his corpse and survival pack."

"How do you know he's dead?"

"It's been three days. We have to assume that anyone who doesn't report back within a day had been claimed by the jungle. That's just the way of life living in a dangerous place like Dxun."

"No way! Im not hauling a corpse through this jungle! Why do you want the body anyway?"

"Good point. Just bring back his equipment."

"Normally I would wonder why you are asking me instead of another one of your warriors but I really don't care. I'm just trying to help around camp to see if Mandalore will deem me worthy of transport so I can get off this place."

Kelborn approached from behind the jedi.

"Ah, Kelborn, good," Xarga said, "You can help the jedi look for Kumus."

"Alright, sure," Kelborn said. He smiled at Arani.

"Ok, well get to it."

"Well, I guess we're going out into the jungle," Kelborn said to her as they walked away from the sparring circle, "But first I need to grab a few ammo clips from Kex. It will only take a second," They approached the quartermaster.

"What do you want?" Kex snapped as he saw the jedi approach," If you're here to gloat about your winnings in the battle circle save it for someone who cares."

"Excuse me? Do you greet everyone that way?"

"No, just you. You're no mandalorian. I don't know why Mandalore is letting you run around camp without an escort. If it were up to me, you would've been shot on sight."

"Hey!" Kelborn stepped up, "You're way out of line."

"Look, you can't even fight your own battles," he said to Arani, "instead you get an ankle biting dog to do your dirty work."

"You are way too low on the chain of command to be talking like that, Kex! You better watch yourself."

Kex glared and turned back to Arani. "I still don't trust you. Mandalore must really think you're something special to let you roam free around our camp."

"I am something special and you better not forget it," Arani spat back.

"Look, I just came here to get some ammo so just give me a few clips and we'll leave you alone," Kelborn said.

Kex huffed, reached into a metal box and handed Kelborn his ammunition.

Arani stuck out her tongue at the quartermaster and he wrinkled his nose back as she turned to leave.

"I apologize for Kex. As I mentioned before, he can be kind of a grouch."

"Yeah, he's just bitter because I kicked his ass."

Kelborn laughed, "That is probably true."

They walked out of the camp and into the jungle.

* * *

Arani sliced open a cannok. This one was a member of the first pack she and Kelborn had come across and sure enough, in its stomach was a piece of a phase-pulse converter.

"What's that?" Kelborn said.

"A piece of a phase-pulse converter. I talked to Zuka. He told me to keep an eye out for these."

"Oh, alright. Well follow me. I know exactly where Kumus was sent so we should be able to find him fairly quickly. Come on," Kelborn grabbed her gloved hand and pulled her gently along.

* * *

Sure enough, they turned a corner and found him right where Kelborn said he would be. But he was not dead.

"Hey, you there, Ner'vod," he called down to Kelborn, "I…am in need of assistance."

"I can see that," Kelborn laughed, "We thought you were dead, Kumus."

"Well I would have been if you hadn't showed up."

"How exactly did you get stuck up there?"

"This was the sight of an old weapons cache. Xarga sent me out here with some explosives to uncover the cache. I easily dispatched some Malraas in the area, removed my pack and began to plant the charges around the ridge. I set the charges but turned around to find cannoks all over my pack. They were eating everything! I killed the cannoks but then a herd of Bomas arrived. I had no more ammo. The extra energy cells had been in my pack. So I've been up here, weaponless for two days."

Kelborn just laughed at his comrades misfortune. Arani punched him in the arm. "How can we help?" she asked.

"Well, if you could just take care of the bomas, I could probably make it back to camp."

"Alright, we'll get to it," she grabbed Kelborn by the arm as he struggled to suppress his laughter.

Around the bend were several, average sized bomas. Arani drew her lightsaber and Kelborn, his pistol. Together, they took them down in a matter of seconds.

"Alright, vod," Kelborn called up to Kumus, "bomas are dead."

"Great, vor'e," he said as he climbed down the cliff, "and jedi, your actions are worthy of a mandalorian. I am grateful for your help. I won't forget this. I have only one request, could the both of you not mention this incident to anyone? Again, I thank you for your help," he turned and ran in the direction of the camp.

"I can't believe it," Kelborn said, shaking his head, "he was actually alive. If I were him I would have shot myself by then," he laughed and then cleared his throat, "but of course I would never be in a situation like that because I could have fought back the bomas with my fists."

"Ah, Kelborn. Always modest."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Actions worthy of a mandalorian

On their way back to camp they encountered another pack of cannok. In one of the beasts' stomachs, they discovered a second piece of the phase-pulse converter. They decided to continue on and hunt down the last piece.

The jedi and the mandalorian were walking down the jungle path in silence when, before they knew it, a large pack of cannoks was right in front of them.

"Wait," Arani stopped Kelborn as he took a step towards the cannoks, "I sense…something."

"What? What is it?" He said, growing concerned.

"I…I don't know. Do you kind taking care of the cannoks so I can go ahead and see what it is?"

"Are you sure?" Arani nodded. "Ok, be careful."

Kelborn drew his blaster and fired a single shot only intended to distract the beasts. It worked. They charged and so did Arani, using the force to jump over the pack of animals.

As Kelborn held off the cannoks, Arani raced ahead to se what had sent such powerful wave energy. The path opened up into a small clearing and she could not believe what she saw; a huge brown creature five times the size of a cannok, its beady eyes staring into hers.

"Kelborn!" she screamed, and before she knew what she was doing, she drew her lightsaber and ran at the creature.

Kelborn heard her cry and desperately fought back the cannoks. "I'm comin' baby," he said more to himself than he did to her. He finished off the cannoks in under a minute and raced off to Arani's aid. He was amazed by what he saw.

A full grown Zaakeg laying on the ground at Arani's feet. The creature almost seemed to be bowing down to the jedi, whose lightsaber was still ablaze.

"Arani! Fierfek! What happened? Are you alright?" he ran up to her.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she assured him, "What was that thing?"

"A…a zaakeg! God, Arani! Did you kill that thing?"

"Um…yeah," she said, still a bit in shock.

Kelborn let out a lighthearted laugh, relieved, "Zaakegs are one of the fiercest creatures on all of Dxun!"

"Really?" Shock was still clear on her face as she looked at him with a confused face. He laughed again and pulled her into his arms.

A mandalorian scout noticed two figures approaching the camp. One of them he recognized as Kelborn, the other was the jedi.

"Kelborn, are you crazy? You know we cancelled our patrols. We caught word of a Zaakeg roaming around, you know."

"Ha! No kidding. This girl right here just killed one."

"You're joking. Where is your proof?"Arani reached into her pack and pulled out the Zaakeg's ear. "Well, I'm impressed. Too bad you're a jedi. You would have made a formidable mandalorian."

Kelborn looked at her. He looked like he was...scheming. Planning something she had no knowledge about. Not something bad, something good. She just wished she knew what it was.

They walked up to Zuka and he turned to face them as he heard them approach.

"Any progress with the phase-pulse converter?"

"Yep, I have all three pieces," Arani answered. They had found the last piece in the group of cannoks Kelborn defeated.

"You do? Let me see." She handed him the pieces, "Well, I don't know how, but these pieces look in good enough shape to repair. I am very grateful for your help."

"Ah, it wasn't so hard. And I had this guy to help me out," she smacked Kelborn lovingly in the arm.

"Alright, well, I will get to the repairs immediately. I'll be sure to tell Mandalore how much help you've been. I know you didn't ask but here's a reward anyway," he held out a handful of credits. "Mandalorians are expected to help in any way they can but you are a stranger and you didn't have to help us."

"No, I couldn't. I was happy to help, really."

"Fine, if you insist. Your understanding and respect for our culture is honorable. It's as if you're one of us. Good work mando'ade," he nodded then turned back to his computer.

The mandalorian and the jedi continued on and passed the sparring circle. As they did so, Xarga approached them.

"You two. Thank you for finding Kumus, and alive no less. I offer my gratitude. He's got a mind like a stunned mynock but he's got courage. He was evasive when I asked him what happened, however. Trying to survive in the jungle must have taken its toll."

They both glanced at each other with a smile because they both knew he just didn't want to tell because it was embarrassing.

"I just hope he was worth it," Kelborn said.

"Well, we'll see if Kumus will prove himself warrior enough. And jedi, I've heard many stores of you around camp. Most of them are good. And if you ask me, you would make a great mandalorian. Good work."

"Tell me something I don't know," Arani said jokingly.

The mandalorian turned and walked back to the circle as Kumus ran up to them.

"Thanks again," he said shaking Kelborn's hand, "the both of you," he kissed Arani on the cheek. Arani noticed Kelborn shift awkwardly. He was acting very strange lately…Kumus ran off again back towards his comrades.

The two of them wandered into camp HQ where they ran into Mandalore.

He turned around, "Ah, Arani. Kelborn here told me of how you helped him dispatch some covert military scouts in the jungle with him. He spoke highly of your work." Arani glanced at Kelborn with a smile and then turned back to Mandalore. "And who hasn't heard of your battle with Braylor? Wither you are very lucky or you're a lot tougher than you look."

"I assure you, it wasn't luck that got me through that battle."

"Is that so? Well, I also heard many good things from Zuka, Xarga and the other recruits around camp. You've made quite a reputation around here. You certainly did better than I thought you could."

"Mandalore," Kelborn stepped in, "this jedi had some more than prove herself worthy of transportation. I've heard many of the men around here say that she would make a fine mandalorian, a statement that I too agree with."

"Hmm, that she would, Kelborn," he said stepping closer to Arani. "Well, I was planning on heading to Iziz tomorrow but I'll move up the timetable and take you now. If you need to grab anything from your ship, do it now."

"Well, I don't think I need to go all the way back to the Hawk but I should probably send Atton a message telling him I got transport."

"You can use the computer if you need to," Mandalore moved out of the way and Arani stepped up to the computer panel.

Once Arani had sent her message to the Ebon Hawk, Mandalore turned to Kelborn.

"I will probably be back before tomorrow but if anything comes up you're in charge."

Kelborn simply nodded. Mandalore walked out the door and Arani followed but before she left, Kelborn called out to her, "See you soon."

Arani fell into step behind Mandalore who headed to the hangars at the back of the camp.

"How are the port stabilizers?" Mandalore asked Zuka who was already inspecting the shuttle.

"They check out Mandalore. All systems are green."

"Good. I want the-" he was cut off by Kelborn who ran into the hangar.

"Mandalore, we've got company. Stealthed targets have breached our perimeter."

"How many?"

"Don't know sir. Several have revealed themselves but there could be more."

"Haar'chak!" Mandalore swore.

"We can't let any of them survive. My whereabouts must remain a secret," Arani warned them.

They all ran out of the hanger, Arani's blade already aglow. They saw a small group of mandalorians trying to fend off two of the sith assassins. Suddenly, Kelborn vanished completely and two more assassins let down their generators. They charged for the mandalorians but fell on their backs as if they had run into a wall. Then, Kelborn reappeared standing above them.

"You didn't think you were the only ones with stealth generators did you?" he said to the injured sith. Kelborn laughed as Arani caught up to him. He shot one of the sith in the face, finishing him off and Arani ran the other one completely through with her blade.

"Quite a team aren't they?" Mandalore said to Zuka as they ran to the entrance of the camp to aid the mandalorians there. Kelborn and Arani ran after them. The small crowd of warriors seemed to have the situation under control here.

As soon as one group of sith was defeated, two more would appear. Arani, Kelborn and the rest of the mandalorians quickly grew tired. They had killed over twenty stealthed assassins when the last one fell.

Kelborn looked at Arani, his face covered in beads of sweat. They were both breathing heavily. Mandalore approached them.

"Trouble seems to follow you on a regular basis. I think it's best for both of us if we head to Iziz immediately. Grab your gear. My men will take care of cleaning up this mess."

Arani glanced at Kelborn wanting to say something but she didn't have time to think before Mandalore pulled her along. She heard Kelborn behind her say something along the lines of…"Let's go, you heard Mandalore. Get to cleaning up these bodies." And she was grateful she didn't have to stick around.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Someone worth saving

Arani flopped onto the stiff bed. Although the cot was incredibly uncomfortable, she fell asleep almost instantly. She hadn't had a chance to rest in nearly twenty hours. Running around Onderon, solving murders, and arranging meetings with long lost jedi masters was very tiring. She had gotten all the supplies and parts needed to finish the repairs on the Ebon Hawk but delivering these things could wait until morning. Right now, she needed rest.

The sun rose above the horizon but you couldn't tell on the cloudy planet of Dxun. Arani barely had enough time to wake up before Mandalore had another task for her.

"Arani, I know you don't have to work for us anymore since you no longer need transport, but most of the men are busy cleaning up around here after all that commotion with the sith and I was wondering if you could do something for me."

"Sure, Mandalore, what is it?"

"Before your ship landed we were preparing some demolition work. All the activity forced my men to stop before they finished. The charges need to be detonated before anybody comes across them, so all you have to do is flip a switch."

"I guess so. There's nothing better to do around here. I'll get to it as soon as I deliver the supplies to my ship. What were you going to blow up?"

"We were trying to uncover the entrance to a hidden cache of old mandalorian equipment. Kelborn knows where it is. He can take you there."

"Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes."

She didn't know if anyone was awake on the Ebon Hawk. If they weren't she didn't want to disturb them and if they were she didn't want to start a conversation and be forced to stick around, so she dropped off the supplied and got out of there pretty fast.

Arani walked all the way back to the camp to find Kelborn. She found him talking to Zuka near the camp entrance. He saw her and walked over.

"You ready to go? Mandalore told me he wanted me to take you to the cache."

"Yeah," she answered. "I actually came back just to find you. Let's go."

They had not been out in the jungle too long and they were near their objective. They turned a corner and there it was, a big metal door and near it, a detonator. But also around it were five cloaked figures. Arani recognized them as dark Jedi.

"Kelborn, we should-" Arani started to say but it was too late. One of the figures turned around and spotted them. Arani and Kelborn were clearly out numbered but they tired to look confident as they walked towards the jedi.

"May I ask what business you have out here?" the man said. The other jedi turned around. There were two other men and two women

"You are on mandalorian territory. I'll ask the questions. What do you think you are doing at _our_ cache?" Kelborn threatened.

"What does it look like we're doing? We're raiding it."

"What makes you think you have permission to do that?"

"We don't! That's the point! We're stealing it! You mandalorians are so damn slow it was bound to happen eventually. This cache has been here since the mandalorian wars. Did you really think no one was going to find it?"

"Yes. We thought we were the only ones on this god-forsaken planet. It looks like we were wrong."

"Where did you come from anyway," Arani inquired.

"I grow tired of this pointless conversation," the dark behind him ignited their lightsabers. Arani and Kelborn drew their weapons as well.

Kelborn fired both his blasters simultaneously. The bolts were reflected by the lightsabers. One went past Kelborn harmlessly but the other was headed right for him. With a quick swish of Arani's lightsaber it changed direction and hit one of the women in the shoulder. She fell and the other rouge warriors charged. They ran past the man Arani and Kelborn had talked to, clearly the leader. He simply stood and observed the fight. Arani was confronted by one of the men and the woman. The other man went for Kelborn. She was overwhelmed. Their blades preformed moves she had never seen before. They moved too fast for her to comprehend. She tried desperately to fend off the jedi's weapons but it was no use. The man somehow ended up behind Arani and brought his blade across her back. The wound burned like boiling oil. Arani collapsed but, unfortunately for her, she remained conscious.

The woman raised her blade to finish her off but Kelborn didn't let her. He stepped in front of her and caught her hand keeping the blade from slicing the fallen jedi in two. With his left hand he pointed his blaster at the male jedi then fired three shots. The jedi reflected the first two shots back at Kelborn; one hitting him in the abdomen and the other in the shoulder. Luckily the last one hit the jedi in the neck. He died instantly.

Kelborn would have died too if it weren't for the armor but nonetheless he was badly injured. He struggled to remain standing. Still holding the lightsaber of the female jedi, he slowly turned her blade. Her thin wrists were not match for his muscular arms and he thrust the blade through her chest as she still held it. He pushed her limp body and she fell backwards. Now only the leader and one other dark jedi were left.

The inferior jedi stayed back as the leader ignited his red blade and began to walk towards Kelborn. The mandalorian had fallen to his knees, unable to stand because of his wounds. In desperation, he picked up Arani's lightsaber hilt and flipped the switch to make it come to life. He threw it and it went spinning through the air. This caught the dark jedi off guard and he was unable to stop the glowing blade. It cut right through him and he fell to the ground in two separate pieces.

Kelborn glared at the last jedi standing. The look in his eyes was enough to frighten the young recruit into running off.

Now that he wasn't distracted by the dark jedi, he could feel the effects of the blaster bolts. His entire body burned from the inside out as if lighting was running through his veins instead of blood. It took all the strength he had left just to remain conscious but he knew he had to. He couldn't slip into the comforting darkness. The jungle was full of dangers. He had to protect Arani.

He struggled to turn over to his other side but he somehow managed and he was now looking into Arani's brown eyes.

"I'm so sorry. I should have protected you," he laid a gentle hand on her cheek.

She gripped his wrist and he realized just how weak she was becoming. "Why would you apologize? How could you even think this was your fault?"

"I should have just killed them before they even had a chance to speak. I could have done something to prevent you from getting hurt."

"I'm fine, Kelborn. It doesn't matter what you could have done. What matters is that we're both alive."

"You're right. That's all I care about. We are going to be okay."

And they lay there side by side until they lost track of time, waiting to be found.

Arani opened her eyes. She seemed to be in some kind of medical bay. It was not the medical bay of the Ebon Hawk and as she came to, she realized she must be in the mandalorian camp. She began to look around and noticed a figure sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. His head was hug down and he look as if he was asleep.

"Atton?" she said in a rough voice.

He looked up. "Oh, you're awake," he sounded relieved. "You blacked out for almost a day."

"Seriously?"

"Well, I guess you weren't really unconscious. You were in some kind of force-healy-meditation thing. That's why you recovered so quickly. The medic said that when you woke up you were healthy enough to go. And I've got even better news. With the supplies you delivered and Bao-dur's help, the Ebon Hawk is ready to fly again and we can finally get off this god-forsaken rock."

"Oh," she continued to look around the small room squinting in the dim light. "Where's Kelborn?"

"Oh, the mandalorian? He's in the next room over." Arani swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Where are you going?"

"To see him."

Atton seemed disappointed but he didn't argue. Arani opened the door and walked outside. She was a little bit afraid to open the door to Kelborn's room. She didn't want to bother him.

When she finally opened the door, she saw Kelborn lying on the bed, sleeping. When she stepped closer she could see the effects of the blaster bolts.

There were two reddish marks; one on his chest and another on his abdomen. She lifted her hand to the wound and with the softest touch, brushed the damaged skin.

Kelborn's hand grabbed her wrist. Arani nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Don't," he said opening his eyes. He smiled at her, "That hurts."

"I-I'm sorry. I though you were asleep."

"No. Just resting. I see you're doing well."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm really sorry this happened."

"Hey, I thought we agreed no apologies."

"Oh, right," she sighed and after a slight pause, she said, "Kelborn, my ship is all repaired. I'm leaving."

"Yeah, I figured you weren't going to stay forever. How soon?"

"Well, now I guess. There is really no reason for me to stay any longer."

Kelborn was silent but he didn't once look away from her face. "So I guess I'll never see you again."

"Of course not! Don't say that!" despite Arani's denial, she knew it was very possible that this would be the last time they talked to each other.

"Well why would you ever want to come back to this shabla* jungle?"

"To see you of course!"

"Really?" he said doubtfully. "You would come back to this shithole to see me?"

"Yes," she kissed him softly on the cheek. "I'll come back, don't you worry."

He slipped his hand off the bed and brushed it against hers. She took it and held it between both of her palms.

"Goodbye," she walked off leaving his hand empty once again. Atton was waiting for her outside. She walked up next to him and he scooped her up into his arms and walked out of the camp.

And so, Kelborn lay there watching Atton carry Arani off and he knew she would not come back.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

We are one when together

The Ebon Hawk made its way to Korriban as Arani talked to Mandalore in the garage. He had made Kelborn the temporary leader of the mandalorians so he could go with the jedi to Korriban.

"Are you sure it was wise to leave Kelborn in charge of the camp? He can barely stand."

"Kelborn is more than capable. Besides, he can't stand to just lie around all day. He'll be up and walking before tomorrow, I'm sure."

"Alright, well, it's a good thing you're sure because we won't turn around now." She headed off in the direction of the cockpit.

Atton sat in the pilot's chair even though he didn't have to. The ship had already made the jump to hyperspace and did not have to be controlled.

"So, Arani, are you sure about this mandalorian guy?"

"Atton, I thought we already had this conversation?"

"Right, of course," he said excusing the subject, not wanting to open old wounds.

"How close are we to Korriban?"

Just then, the ship came out of the dizzying blue tunnel and right in front of them was a sand colored rocky planet.

"I'd say very soon," he looked over his shoulder at her and smiled.

Arani turned, walked out of the cockpit and prepared for landing.

The ship descended slowly and rocked slightly as it touched down. Arani walked out of the ship with Atton and Mandalore at her side. They walked swiftly past the sandy pillars, eager to get the information they needed as fast as possible so they could get off this tainted planet.

* * *

It was late. Arani was sitting in the main hold of the Ebon Hawk. Right now, she wished for nothing more than to get off of Korriban. They had been there for three days. She never knew she could be so miserable.

Her eyelids heavy, she began to fall asleep but a tone from the console in the center of the room roused her. She reluctantly got up from her chair and went to see what the problem was. There was an incoming message…from Dxun. Suddenly she was completely alert. She activated the holorecording and the familiar image of Kelborn in beskar'gam without his helmet shimmered to life.

"Arani," he started. "Master Kavar has contacted me from Onderon. He wishes to speak with you. Things have gone…horribly wrong in Iziz and his message sounded urgent. Please return to Dxun as quickly as possible. I will discuss details with you when we arrive."

She looked into the hologram's eyes. She could see he was troubled and seemed reluctant to end the recording, as if he had something more to say. The blue image faded into oblivion and the room went dark. She stood there for a moment, bewildered, and then walked off to the cockpit. They were headed to Dxun.

Atton stirred. He felt the ship rock as if it had just landed. But that couldn't be. They were still on Korriban. He got up and walked to the front of the ship and into the cockpit.

"Arani?" he said, seeing her figure in the pilot's seat. He looked out the front of the ship and saw the familiar green jungle terrain of Dxun. "Uggh," he groaned. "Why are we back here?"

"Kelborn sent us a message last night. He needed us back as soon as possible."

Atton groaned again. "I hate this damn planet."

"Too bad," she said getting up from her chair. "Kelborn says there's trouble on Onderon. We have to help master Kavar." She was headed to the back of the ship to wake the rest of the crew.

When they were all assembled, Arani addressed them to explain what was going on.

"You may have noticed that when you woke up you were not on Korriban. That is because, as we feared, Onderon has fallen into chaos. I will need all of your help to end this as soon as possible so we can return to our main goal. We are heading to the mandalorian camp now. I would appreciate it if you all accompanied me.

"Ugg, it's too early for this," Mira said sarcastically as the crowd, led by Arani and Mandalore, headed out of the ship.

They were greeted by a mandalorian guide.

"Ah, Mandalore, good to see you again. I can escort you back to camp if you are ready."

"Thank you, Altor. Lead on."

* * *

Back at the camp, they followed Mandalore into camp headquarters where they were greeted by Kelborn in full armor except for his helmet which was sitting on the computer panel. He straightened up when he saw Mandalore.

"You received my message then?" he said to Arani.

"Yes. What did Kavar say?"

"Not much. Just that he needed to speak to you urgently. He said Queen Talia organized safe passage for you to Onderon, but I don't know how good that offer is anymore. This morning, general Vaklu met with the Council of Lords and declared Queen Talia guilty of treason. He'll be mage regent if Talia and her Royal Guard are defeated. The military is the real problem. They are divided on who to support. Civil war has fallen on Iziz.

"How can we help Talia?"

"I don't know if you can. Braylor and I both agree she won't last a week. The royal palace is heavily fortified and most of the soldiers are loyal to her but Vaklu has found new allies among the sith. There is little you can do to save her now."

Kreia cut in, "You underestimate the power of the force, mandalorian. I sense that we may still get to Master Kavar in time. However, I sense something stirring on the moon itself. Have your sensors picked anything up from Dxun?"

"Yes…yes we have." He seemed reluctant to tell her. "We picked up some transmissions from nearby in the jungle. We only have our shuttle sensors, so we know nothing more than that."

"Those transmissions are the enemy. They must be stopped if we wish to save the Queen."

"But I have to go to Onderon," Arani said.

"Then you must choose who is to lead the expedition to find the sith here."

"What? Dividing our forces at a time like this is foolhardy!" Mandalore exclaimed.

Kreia turned to him. "And this is why a common soldier will never triumph against a jedi. Your military "tactics" are nothing compared to the force. It is essential that we face both enemies at the same time." She turned back to Arani. "Who is to lead the party into the jungle?" she asked again.

Arani could see Mandalore was furious. She could not see his face because of his helmet, but his hands were balled into fists. "Atton should lead."

"Hacking through beasts and jungles? That sounds like a job for me," he responded to her request. Arani smiled.

"Very well," Kreia said. "Who else should go?"

"Bao-dur and Visas. Sound good?" Bao-dur, Visas, and Atton all nodded.

"Good. It's decided then," Mandalore added.

"Mandalorian warriors will accompany you to the enemy camp," Kelborn said. "Just let me know when you want to head out."

"I think it would be wise to stay here for a night to rest and prepare for the coming battle," Kreia suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Kelborn was quick to respond.

"Well then, I'll find accommodations for you guys, unless you feel like hiking all the way back through the jungle." Mandalore led the group out of the building. Arani stayed behind as the rest of her friends walked off. She wanted to stay with Kelborn, but she had nothing to say and it looked like he didn't either.

She turned and took a step towards the door. "Arani," Kelborn said. His voice was soft and calm. When she turned to face him he continued. "It's good to see you again." He stepped closer.

"Yes, it is. I see you are doing well."

"I guess…Arani," he started, changing the subject. "We were the greatest team I have ever seen and when you were gone I realized just how little I am without you. I missed you." His voice got quieter as he got closer.

"I missed you too, Kelborn. Everyday I waited by the computer hoping you had sent a message. When I finally got your call, I came as fast as I could. Not because of the crisis on Onderon, but because I wanted to see you."

"And I am so glad you came. When you left I was afraid you wouldn't come back, even though you told me you would. I was afraid I would never get a chance to tell you what you needed to know." He whispered now. "Arani while you were gone, I realized…" he trailed off, put his hands on the sides of her neck and kissed her, gently and cautiously, unsure of how she would react. When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers and sighed. "It's a strange story, how a mandalorian fell in love with a jedi." His eyes sparkled.

There was a moment of silence before Arani said, "Ah, but it is also the story of how a jedi fell in love with a mandalorian." She lifted her head, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Kelborn smiled. "What happened to the whole jedi code? No attachments, remember?"

"I am no jedi. I am a mandalorian in all but a name." And she could see that this pleased him. She backed him up against the wall and kissed him again.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

A midnight meeting

The night air was hot and humid. It wasn't raining but it was about to. Arani was headed to the overlook where she had stood that first night on Dxun. Kelborn was already there waiting for her. She smiled as she approached him. He was wearing loose, tan pants and a black sleeveless shirt. She wasn't used to seeing him with out his red mandalorian armor and Kelborn caught her staring as he turned around. He gave her the softest smile as she walked up to him

Neither of them spoke for a moment. Arani blushed as she stared into his eyes, then she spoke; "It's funny," she said. "You would think this place would only bring back horrible memories, but I only feel at home." She paused for a moment. "I think it's because I belong here. With you."

He leaned in a kissed her on the cheek. "I believe that with all my heart."

"Can you imagine," she continued, "that ten years ago we were fighting on opposite sides of a war?"

"I know. To think…we could have killed each other!"

Arani was silent, unsure of what to say then she laughed. "Well, it's a damn good thing we didn't!"

"It sure is." He pecked her on the lips. "How were things on Korriban?"

"Ugh! Awful." She wrinkled her nose. "Let's not talk about it," she said, running her fingers through his hair.

"Alright," and after a long pause, he said, "Would you like to go swimming?"

"What?" Arani was slightly confused. Kelborn nodded to the crater on the moons surface. It had filled up with a small pool of water.

He didn't wait for her reply. He shed his shirt and ran down the side of the crater ending his decent with a graceful dive.

Arani could feel that it had begun to drizzle and she could see the drops ripple in the water as Kelborn resurfaced.

He waved to her signaling that she should join him, Arani slipped off her jedi robe and laid it on the rock. She leapt into the air, performing flips, twists and spins that were only possible with the help of the force, finishing the display with a dive that created a small splash. When she popped back up above the water, Kelborn splashed her. "Show off." He laughed and she splashed him back.

Atton, back in his room, got up from his bed and walked outside into the rain. He thought he had heard something then he heard it for sure this time. Laughter. He walked across the field until he saw a huge crater filled with water and in it, Arani and a mandalorian, Kelborn he guessed.

Neither of them saw him watching in horror as Arani clung to the shirtless figure, wrapping her legs around his waist and arms around his neck. Kelborn leaned in and kissed her softly. Atton turned away. He stormed back through the camp. There was no way he would be able to sleep now.

Arani walked back up the side of the crater, Kelborn following close behind. She grabbed her robe and Kelborn held her hand as they walked back to her room where they kissed goodnight.

"See you tomorrow, cyar'ika," Kelborn whispered in her ear.

"Goodnight," she whispered back. Reluctantly, he left her and she opened the door to her room and stepped inside. After stripping her wet clothes, she put on a pair of shorts and a tank top then settled down in her bed and slept.

* * *

The day to go their separate ways had begun. In the early morning hours Arani walked across the camp to Atton's temporary room. She knocked. There was no answer.

_"He couldn't possibly still be asleep…"_ she thought. She knocked again. "Atton," she called.

"What?" he spat. The door opened. The room was dark except for the lamp at his desk where he was sitting. He didn't look at her when she came in the door. She stepped cautiously inside.

"Shut the door."

"Hey," Arani said. He didn't reply. "I just thought I would come by to say goodbye and good luck."

"Gee, thanks for pretending to care." He still did not look at her.

"Atton, what's wrong?"

He stood up quickly, shoving the chair back and making it squeak on the floor. "You! You're what's wrong! How could you Arani?"

"How could I what? Atton, what are you talking about?"

He turned and looked out the window. "I saw you with him last night." He said the words as if he were in pain. Now she realized what she had done. "I fell in love with you and you led me on only to run off with some mandalorian you just met! I'd kill him, but I know that that would do to you…because I felt the same way…" He looked into her eyes now and she could see how much he loved her. His gaze was like a dagger, stabbing her heart. It wasn't angry. Even though she had crushed and rejected him, he still loved her, and that was what really hurt.

"_What have I done?"_ she thought to herself. "Atton, I'm sorry." She stepped closer. "I still love you." She put her cold hand on his cheek and he flinched as if she had slapped him. "Just not the way I love Kelborn."

His eyes burst open, filled with rage. She jumped back, startled.

"Get out." He pointed at the door.

"Atton, please, let me-"

He stomped up to her and slapped her across the face. "Get out, bitch," he said in a softer tone but he wasn't any less angry. "Go cry to your mandalorian lover." He turned away and she ran out, frightened, sad, hurt and angry at herself.

She ran across the grass, her vision blurry from tears. Kelborn was standing with Mandalore near the main computer. He heard Arani's boots on the metal and turned around.

"Hey," he called and ran after her as she ran into her room. She stopped only when she had no where else to go and faced the wall. Kelborn grabbed her gently by the shoulder and spun her around. Tears streamed down her face.

"Hey, Arani, what happened?" What's wrong?" She said nothing, just leaned against him and buried her face in his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in closer against his chest. He didn't ask her any further questions. It was clear that she wasn't in the mood to talk.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The call of the dark side

Arani and Kelborn stood to the side of the hangar. Arani and her team of Mandalore and Kreia were soon headed off to Iziz.

"Be careful up there," Kelborn warned her, concern clear on his face.

"Don't worry." She kissed him on the cheek. "It's the rebels who are gonna have to watch their backs." She winked at him and went off to follow Zuka into the hangar.

"Good luck!" he called.

"You too." Kelborn slipped on his helmet and headed off to prepare the group that was heading into the jungle.

The leader of the expedition was Atton; the other two were Visas and Bao-dur. Kelborn already knew that Bao-dur wasn't a big fan of the mandalorians and judging by Atton's expression, he wasn't too fond of them either.

Ignoring Atton's glare; "I've assembled a force of five Mandalorians led by Xarga. They will lead you to the general area of the sith base. You are free to head out now." Bao-dur and visas went past him into the jungle and Atton followed them, glaring at Kelborn the whole time.

_"What's his problem?"_ Kelborn thought to himself.

* * *

"Finally, we're close to our objective. The rest of the men will secure the trail behind us. Ahead lies the enemy in a structure that we believe to be the tomb of Freedon Nadd. I can follow you a little further but then I will set up command for my unit in the field. I take it you can handle things from here?" Xarga said.

"Yeah," Atton said, eager to be rid of the Mandalorian.

Before the two groups could part company Xarga stopped them. "Hold a moment. Past the mines…" He indicated a small machine after a long field of mines.

"A type two perimeter motion relay," Bao-dur stated. "That particular model has several security vulnerabilities and design flaws. Stealth field generators can fool them. If one of us could get close to it, I know the corporate override code for it."

"Well, you all seem to have this situation under control here. I'll leave you to it then." Xarga turned back down the path.

All three of them got to work collection the mines and soon enough Atton switched on his stealth field generator and walked up to the perimeter sensor.

"Umm, Atton, you might want to let me do that," Bao-dur cautioned.

"I can handle it!" his invisible voice shot back.

Bao-dur wondered what had gotten into him recently…The perimeter sensor began emitting a loud high-pitched noise. "Shit." Atton swore and let down his stealth field.

Bao-dur jumped at the sensor, quickly deactivating it, but it was too late. A group of sith troopers descended upon them. Visas assaulted one with her lightsaber, Bao-dur's weapon of choice was vibroblades and Atton went in with blasters blazing. The troopers were easily dispatched by the jedi and her friends.

Bao-dur was frustrated with Atton and he would have said something to him but he didn't want to upset the volatile individual.

They moved on through the grounds of the ancient sith temple. A mass of dark jedi and sith troopers guarded the entrance. Strategically planted mines and Visas' force powers took them out.

They were finally on the inside, past all the guards and able to explore the dark secrets of the tomb.

They had walked a short way down the hall when they turned left down another passageway. A room at the end contained an ancient terminal of some kind. Bao-dur turned to Atton, expecting he would want to step up and inspect the terminal himself but Atton said, "No, go ahead," in a small voice. "I've already screwed up enough."

When Bao-dur logged into the computer it asked for him to fix a simple equation. Easy enough. He was pretty sure that whatever the code unlocked would not bring them any harm. And he was right. All it did was open an ancient box next to the computer. Bao-dur stepped away from the computer and retrieved the items from the box. They then left the empty chamber and walked back through the dim halls.

There was an identical chamber across the hall and this was where the group found themselves next. As they stepped inside they could feel that the air was considerably colder than that of the halls. A chill crept up Atton's spine

Bao-dur moved to unlock the ancient box by the terminal much like the one in the other chamber, but Atton was drawn to something near the far wall. It was barely visible, a cloud of mist and lightning. Like an upside-down storm cloud. Energy washed over him like a wave as he approached it. He felt something pulling at his soul, calling him. He was not afraid. He submitted to the dark energy and let it course through every inch of his body. It felt good; he felt like he belonged there, he felt free…

"Atton," Bao-dur's voice brought him back to reality. "Let's go."

He reluctantly turned away from the mysterious cloud and followed Visas and the zabrak out of the chamber, leaving the freedom of the dark side behind.

Furhter down the main hall, several dark jedi waited for them. No big deal. Atton fired at them out of instinct knowing their blades would reflect the shots. They did just that but none of the blaster blots hit him or his friends. Bao-dur charged them with his blades while Visas simply called the force down in the form of lighting killing the pathetic excuses for jedi instantly.

Now, ahead of them stood a mighty door.

"This must lead to the tomb," Visas said. "There must be some way to open it."

"We'll try this corridor," Bao-dur indicated the hall to their left.

At the end of this hall was another old computer. And also, the same dark side energy that Atton had felt before. He went to the cloud and sat down in the center of it. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, meditating, focusing, drawing on the power. It spoke to him. Not in a voice that could be heard but it spoke to his soul. It told him to let go. To release his anger and rage. Peace is a lie, there is only passion. He listened to it.

Then he heard running footsteps. More sith troopers, a dark jedi and one of their tamed bomas had rushed into the room.

Fueled but the dark side energy, Atton ran at them, shooting wildly. Miraculously, some of the shots hit their mark, killing one sith soldier and the boma. The sith apprentice was clearly inexperienced and, shocked by Atton's rampage, hesitated just enough for Atton to shoot him in the face and grab the hilt of his lightsaber as he fell. Now armed with a deadlier, close range weapon, he struck down the last trooper, his head smoking as it rolled across the floor.

Breathing heavily, Atton glanced over the carnage he had caused, still wallowing in the power of the dark side.

Visas and Bao-dur stared in awe, and then Bao-dur spoke, "Atton, we got the door to the tomb open. We can-" He stopped at Atton broke into a run, heading back to the main chamber of the building and leaving his friends in the dust. He wasn't ready to give up his power.

He charged into the tomb, cutting down every last trooper and apprentice that stood in his way. When he reached the inner chamber, three sith masters greeted him.

"Break the ritual," the leader commanded. Sparks and bolts of lightning flew everywhere but Atton didn't move, drinking in the power tangible in the tomb. "You are too late. Soon Onderon shall fall and with it, the Republic shall die. But what is this? Ah…the force has guided you here. It echoes within you. But you do not control it. But this skill can be easily taught. It is good you sought us out. Your first step to a greater destiny."

"Yes. I have heard the force call to me. What is this destiny you speak of?"

"It is good you are willing to hear the truth. The truth

the jedi would keep from everyone if they could. They would have you become a puppet of the force. They would have you deny the strength of your emotions. The strength of your own will. You know the power of this place. You let it echo through you like a second voice. Turn your emotions, your anger, your rage, into power."

Atton took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. Behind him, he heard the footsteps of his friends approaching.

"Atton!" Visas called.

"Don't listen to that lying Jedi," the sith master said. "Join us."

Atton's eyes burst open as he fully released his emotion. "I share my power with no one!" He recklessly charged at the three sith. It was a mistake. To go up against three sith masters armed with a lightsaber with which you are untrained is obviously not a good idea but Atton was blinded by the dark side. It had consumed him.

The dark side guided his actions. He saw a small round object flying through the air, a bright light and one of the sith falling to the ground. One of the two turned away from him and he was left to duel with the master, the one that had spoken to him. From the corner of his eye he could see visas and Bao-dur brace themselves as they took on the other sith.

Atton could feel that he was stronger and faster than he ever was before. He didn't even have to think or plan his movements. The blade just moved and hit its target again and again. The master had more skill, but Atton had more emotion, but soon, Atton was struggling to keep up and wasn't sure he could last much longer when Visas and Bao-dur appeared at his side and finished off the sith master.

All three masters had fallen, leaving the room quiet and cold. Visas and Bao-dur stared at Atton who was breathing heavily. There was a thick wall of silence between them but it was broken down by Xarga who came running into the tomb.

"What you have done…is beyond words. You've fought like a mandalorian."

Atton's rage wasn't over. He threw his lightsaber aside and ran at Xarga, slamming into him. They fell onto the hard, stone floor. Atton ripped Xarga's helmet right off his head and punched him in the face. He then pulled him up and smashed him against the wall. Xarga's mouth was bleeding as Atton leaned in close to his face.

"Mandalorians fight like savages. Uncivilized beasts. Because that's what they are. You claim to fight for honor but you have none. I am nothing like you. Don't ever compare me to one of you bastards _ever_ again."

Xarga was in shock. Simply for complimenting Atton, he got a bloody lip and several bruises.

Bao-dur and Visas were now genuinely concerned for their safety and Atton's as well. He was getting way out of hand. All three of them turned their backs on him and began to walk out of the temple.

Atton fell to his knees as he watched his friends walk away. His emotions spilled over in the form of tears and his sobs echoed in the empty corridors.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

No more secrets

Arani stared at Tobin's dead body lying on the floor of the throne room. Finally, the war was over. She was more than ready to get off this planet and never go back.

"What is done is done," Talia said, approaching the Jedi. "I don't think the service you have given us can ever be repaid. The crisis is over, thanks to you. Captain Bustuco has made arrangements for a shuttle to take you to your ship if you wish to leave now. However, you are welcome to stay if you so desire."

"No," Arani replied. "I think it is best if we be on our way."

"Of course. Again, I thank you. If there is ever a way I can repay you, do not hesitate to contact me."

Arani simply nodded and turned to Bustuco.

"If you will follow me, I will take you to your shuttle," he said.

Arani, Kreia and Mandalore followed him out.

* * *

The Basilisk war droid made its landing back on Dxun where the rain was falling as usual. Kelborn was waiting in the hangar with a big smile on his face as the ship touched down.

_"Could I really be in love with him?"_ Arani asked herself as she made her way down the ramp and over to the helmetless mandalorian. But when he greeted her with a smile and warm embrace she knew the answer.

"Hey, welcome back," he said.

"It's good to be back," she replied, smiling at him.

"I take it things worked out on Onderon?"

"Well, we managed to save Talia but it was quite a struggle. Tobin is dead. The war is over."

"Really? Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Well that's good to hear. That war was a major pain in our asses." They both laughed.

"Hey, you two." Mandalore approached them. "It's getting late. I'm closing up shop. Kelborn, be sure to shut the hangar doors when you leave."

"Will do, Mandalore." He saluted his commander, then Mandalore headed towards the hanger entrance and out into the pouring rain. Kelborn turned back to Arani.

Arani walked past him and sat on one of the plasteel cylinders against the wall. "So how have things been here?"

"Well, you know, things never seem to be the same when you're not around." Lightning flashed outside immediately followed by a boom of thunder. The rain was a torrential downpour now. "Looks like we should stay here for a while, until the rain starts to let up."

"That's fine with me." She took his hands and leaned in to kiss him. "All the more time I get to spend with you."

Moment after moment passed but the rain did not back down. If anything it was getting worse.

Kelborn now sat on the floor, his back against the wall. Arani, growing tired, was sprawled out next to him, clinging to his armored chest. He wrapped a comforting arm around her. He couldn't imagine that the beskar armor was too comfortable, but as long as she didn't mind, he certainly didn't.

"Hey, cyar'ika," Kelborn whispered.

"Hmm…" the jedi mumbled, half asleep.

"Don't you think you should get to bed?"

"No," she replied, her eyes still closed. "I wanna stay here with you." She snuggled closer to him.

"Ok, but I thought you wanted to keep things quiet about us? If someone finds us in here together don't you think they might suspect something?" he said with mild sarcasm.

"Yeah, but I don't care. Why should we have to hide?"

"Umm, because you're a jedi. I don't know if you remember this but jedi can't really be romantically attached to anyone."

"I told you I'm not a jedi."

"Alright, well everyone else thinks you are."

"So?"

"Ok, clearly you are too tired to think straight." He shifted to pull her up into his arms and stood. "Come on. It's time for bed." He stepped out into the pouring rain carrying his lover back to her room.

He laid her down on the bed and managed to remove her damp jedi robe. He brushed the hair out of her face, kissed her forehead and turned to leave but Arani caught his hand and pulled him back.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To my room."

"Why? Stay here." She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

He submitted. "Well, how can I say no when you look at me like that?"

She laughed. "You can't. That's the point."

He removed his heavy armor and laid it in the corner of the room. Climbing into bed with her, Arani snuggled up against his chest and he put his arms around her. She fell asleep almost instantly but Kelborn stayed awake a little longer to stroke her hair and listen to her breath.

* * *

Arani woke to the sound of a fist pounding on the metal door.

"Arani," Atton's voice called from the other side.

"Shit!" She was instantly awake and jumped out of bed so quickly she shoved Kelborn onto the floor.

"Ow!" he exclaimed.

"Sorry," Arani whispered.

"What's going on?" He rubbed the back of his head where it had made contact with the floor.

"Atton." She jabbed a nervous thumb at the door.

"Oh my god." Now Kelborn realized the gravity of the situation they were in. Arani began to pace and Kelborn stood up, walking over to comfort her. "Ok, calm down." He grabbed her by the shoulders to stop her pacing.

"It's bad enough that he knows about us but to find you in here with me-"

"Woah woah woah. He knows?"

"Yes and now he's outrageously mad at me and he kind of hates you." Atton knocked and called her name again.

"Ok, so if he already knows why is it such a problem?" Kelborn asked.

"Seeing you in here with me might push him over the edge. He has a horrible temper."

"Ok, ok, relax. I can take him if he tries anything."

"I don't know…" Arani said with doubt.

"Oh, come on. Have a little more confidence in me. Why does it matter so much anyway? I though you said you didn't care if people found out?"

She paused to think for a moment. "You're right."

"Honey, I'm always right." He smiled and kissed her.

"Ok, but for god sakes can you at least put a shirt on?"

Kelborn laughed and retrieved a navy blue t-shirt from one of the footlockers. Arani had totally forgotten that this was originally his room. He pulled it over his head and Arani opened the door.

Atton appeared to be in a relatively good mood. "Hey, are you ready to…" Kelborn appeared in the doorway and wrapped his arm protectively around Arani's waist "…go." Atton's eyes flashed from Arani to the mandalorian. He seemed troubled but not surprised.

Arani looked past him at the reactions of her friends. Mandalore looked unsurprised, Mira's eyes widened but at least she was smiling, Bao-dur wore a similar expression. Visas looked unimpressed as usual and Kreia glared. But Arani decided not to care about their reactions. It wasn't any of their business. She was happy with Kelborn.

"Yeah, I guess." She looked up at Kelborn then back at Atton. "Where are we going?"

"I was thinking Dantooine." He was clearly distracted.

"Ok. A-are we leaving now?"

"Yes." Atton glared at Kelborn, grabbed Arani's hand and pulled her away.

"Wait!" She yelled and broke free, running back to Kelborn where she kissed him goodbye.

"When will you be coming back?" Kelborn said with the saddest eyes she had ever seen on a hardened war veteran.

"I don't know." She stood on her tip toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "But I'll make sure it's soon." She gave him one last glance before walking off to follow Atton, who was fuming.

"I'll catch up with you in a moment, Jedi," Mandalore said. "I just need to talk to Kelborn for a moment."

"Of course." Arani nodded, smiled at Kelborn then walked out of the room.

Mira was waiting for her outside with a big smile on her face. "Soooo, you and the mandalorian huh? What's his name again? Kablorn, Melhorn…"

"It's Kelborn."

"Right, right. So when did all this happen anyway?"

Arani sighed. "It's a long, complicated story."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The Vows of a Mandalorian

It's been three days on the troubled planet of Dantooine. The grasslands weren't quite as bad as the deserts of Korriban but it was still so sad, so devastated. The enclave was in ruins, being raided by sleazy scavengers and the rest of the population was on the brink of civil war. It was just so lonely, and Arani felt even more so without Kelborn.

She wandered across the plains. It was nearly sundown and the rest of the crew, including their newest member, Mical, had gone back to the Ebon Hawk for the night. They had found Mical in the library of the sublevels of the destroyed jedi enclave. Arani didn't really know much about him other than the fact that he was a historian and protector of the Jedi's knowledge. She couldn't really find much time to talk to him.

She sat down on a rock next to a tree on a grassy knoll. The plains of Dantooine lay before her, painted a golden hue by the setting sun.

Arani sighed. All this traveling and searching for lost jedi was beginning to take its toll. She was always tired and irritable. This was really the only time she'd had to relax in a long while. She had never been fond of traveling and wanted nothing more than to stay in one place for a long time if not the rest of her life.

The weary jedi could not deny that sitting and watching the sunset was relaxing, but getting a good sleep would be better for her in the long run. She stood up and took one last glance at the vast plains when she heard a voice behind her.

"Do I know you?" She turned to see a mandalorian in full red armor. Nostalgia swept over her and burned in her throat.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm not acquainted with any mandalorians on Dantooine."

"Really? Have you forgotten me already?"

Arani gave him a confused look but then she recognized his voice. He removed his helmet and his charming smile confirmed his identity.

"Kelborn!" she screamed and ran at him. He laughed as she leapt into his arms. "Oh my god. Why are you here?"

"Mandalore wanted me to round up some of the clans here. He didn't have enough time to do it because he was busy helping you and since I'm second in command he though I'd be the most convincing."

"Well, who's watching the camp on Dxun?"

"That job went to Braylor. Being my predecessor as champion of the battle circle and one of the most experienced veterans in the camp, Mandalore and I both agreed he was highly qualified."

"Is that what you two were talking about before we left? You were arranging this whole mission to Dantooine."

"Yes. And we discussed something else."

"What?"

"You." A sly smile spread across his face.

"Me? Why me?" she questioned.

"How committed are you to this whole jedi thing?" He said seemingly changing the subject.

"I don't really care for it. I once felt obligated to do this because I could have been the last jedi. The more jedi we find alive, the less I'm interested."

"And you said yourself that you loved the mandalorian culture, right?"

"Right…" Arani could not see where this was going.

"How would you like to be accepted into our clan? As one of us. A mandalorian."

"Me?" She pointed to herself in disbelief. "A mandalorian?" Kelborn nodded. "Are you serious?" Arani was shocked but excited. She couldn't believe it. "Are there even female mandalorians?"

"Yes. Not many but there are. And they are some of the most skilled and respected women out there. Infact, I had my eyes on one here on Dantooine."

"What?" Arani broke free of his grasp. "I guess…that's it then." Her face fell and she turned away from him. She couldn't believe it. He had come all this way just to break her heart. "You came here to tell me that I was just a one night thing right?"

Kelborn laughed. "It's you cyar'ika." He grabbed her wrist and spun her back around to face him.

"Oh…" He kissed her to apologize for his cruel joke. "But I'm not a mandalorian," she said.

"Not on the outside but in your heart. You know it Arani."

"I know. And I want to become a mandalorian more than anything right now but what does that mean for the rest of my mission? The jedi I am here to assemble already hate me for leaving the order to fight the mandalorians. They'll never follow me if they know I've become one."

"Then it'll be our secret." He kissed her again. "At least until you've worked everything out with the jedi."

"Mandalore really said he'd let me join your clan?" She gave him a skeptical smile.

"He said you're the only non-mandalorian he's come to respect this much."

"Wow."

"Not to mention the rest of the camp's praise for you. They'll be more than willing to accept you into our family."

"What about Kex?"

"He may not like it at first but I'll make sure he gets it into his thick skull that you're here to stay."

Arani laughed and then paused. "Then I guess the answer is yes."

"Really? You will?" Excitement was clear on his face.

"You're a very smooth talker," she said. "And this may cause controversy and inflict irreversible damage but as long as you're with me what do I have to worry about?" She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'll make sure you never have to worry about anything ever again."

"That's why I love you," she said, smiling and then kissing him.

The sun was almost below the distant mountains. Arani noticed this and realized that she really should be heading back to the ship.

"Kelborn, I'm sorry but I really should get going."

"Oh, yes of course. As should I. I'll see you soon I hope," he added as she began to walk away.

She turned back for a moment and smiled at him. "I'll make sure of it." She winked then headed off.

After a moment Kelborn called after her. "Arani, wait," he said.

"What is it?" Kelborn looked both conflicted and nervous.

"Will you marry me?" He said the words quickly to get it over with and then braced himself for her answer.

Arani nearly fainted. "What? For real?" She laughed nervously.

"Yep. No joke. B-but don't feel obligated to say yes. I just thought I'd put it out there." She had never seen a mandalorian so flustered.

Arani smiled uncontrollably. "Fierfek, did you want to see how many life changing questions you could throw at me before the day ends?"

"It was going well enough so far. You said yes to the first one so I thought I might as well try for two."

"Well, then I guess that makes two for the mandalorian."

"What? Are you saying yes?"

Arani nodded with the biggest smile on her face Kelborn had ever seen. "Yes, cyar'ika, I will marry you." They both laughed happily as Arani leapt into her soon-to-be-husband's arms.

"Well, since we're both mandalorians now, I guess we have to do this the mandalorian way," he said.

"Oh? And how do we do that?"

Kelborn set her down. "Just repeat after me."

"Ok." She bit her lip as he stared into her eyes and gently held her hands.

"Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar tome." He said the first lines of the mandalorian marridge vows. Arani repeated them. "Mhi me'dinui an, mhi bajuri ver'de."

"Mhi me'dinui an, mhi bajuri ver'de." Arani's repetition of the simple phrase ended the brief ceremony. "Ni kar'tayl gar daraasum." She spoke the words for "I love you" softly.

Kelborn leaned down and brushed her lips with his. She pulled him in closer kissing him passionately. When they finally pulled away, Arani spoke. "So that's it then. I'm yours and you're mine."

"Forever." Kelborn kissed her on the cheek. "You don't think it was too sudden or too soon do you?"

Arani sensed a slight hint of doubt in his voice. All she could do was laugh. "I said yes, didn't I?"

"I guess that's true. I wasn't sure because we mandalorian tend to not really think, we just do."

"Well, it seems to work pretty well for you."

"It does, doesn't it?" Neither of them spoke for a moment, just watching each other in the fading light of sundown. "I'm still a little shocked you said yes."

"Honestly, I am too. I guess we mandalorians don't really think we just do." The newly wed mandalorian said through a smile.

_We are one when together._

_We are one when parted._

_We share all._

_We will raise warriors._


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

All is forgiven

Night had fallen fully on Dantooine. It wasn't too late but Arani knew Atton would be worried. At least she hoped he was. She wished with all her heart that he had forgiven her for what she had done to him. How would he ever be able to handle the fact that she was married to Kelborn now?

She walked up the ramp and entered the ship. There he was. He stopped pacing when he saw her and traded his contemplative expression for one of pain.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Arani. Do you have a minute to talk?" he started.

"Of course, Atton." She walked towards him and sat down on the edge of the galaxy map in the center of the room. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry for the way I acted back on Dxun. That moon is filled with the power of the dark side and it blinded me from what was really important. Your happiness." A smile crept across Arani's face. "I was selfish and stupid." He sighed. Arani said nothing, expecting him to have more to say. He did. "When I led the party to the sith tomb I…let the dark side takeover. I fed my power with all my emotion and it consumed me. I reverted to my old ways." He turned to look at her. "Then I remembered why I changed. I couldn't control myself. It was like I was someone else and I hated it."

"Atton, oh my gosh, what happened at the tomb?" Concern welled up inside her and showed on her face.

"Don't freak out. We stopped the sith but that's not my point. What I'm trying to say is that I'm not going to let my emotions get the better of me. If you want to be with this mandalorian, I'm fine with it. Whatever it takes to make you happy."

"Atton, Im so glad you understand." She paused. "Because I have a secret for you." She leaned in closer towards him. "You may not like it but judging by the conversation we just had I'm hoping you will be able to accept it."

Atton took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, preparing himself for what Arani was about to say. "Ok, what is it?"

"Kelborn asked me to marry him."

Atton's expression didn't change. "And what did you say?"

"I said yes."

"Good."

Arani was shocked by his response. "What?"

"You really love him don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then you should be with him." His face was calm and collected.

"Atton." Arani fell into his arms. "You're amazing."

"Well, I'm just glad you trust me enough to tell me this." His face was emotionless when she pulled away.

"Atton." Arani sighed. "I'm sorry everything turned out this way."

"Don't be." He brushed his hand across her cheek. "You're better off this way. And someday I'll find someone who makes me as happy as Kelborn makes you." The faintest smile surfaced on his face.

"There's no doubt about that." She leaned in a kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for being a great friend."

"No problem." He stood. "Well, I'm off to bed."

"Goodnight Atton."

Atton turned back to look at her. "Goodnight, and congratulations," he said with a smile.

Soon after Atton left Arani stood up and made her way to her own room but was stopped by Mandalore who was standing in the doorway. His arms were crossed. Arani wondered if the mandalorian leader had been listening the whole time. He removed his helmet, something he rarely ever did.

"Arani," he started to say. Then he smiled and extended his hand. "Congratulations. Welcome to the family." She smiled back and shook the hand of her new clan leader. "Kelborn tells me everything," he explained.

"Yeah, he likes to talk doesn't he?" She said.

"That he does. Especially about you. You're lucky you got someone who loves you as much as he does."

"I know. I just wish we could spend our first night as a married couple together."

"Then why don't you?"

"Well I had to come back to the ship or Atton would have been up all night. And I have to get my sleep…"

"Oh come on. Now you're just making excuses. Go." He gestured towards the door.

"Really? You think I should?"

"Absolutely. You only get one first night together."

"Alright." Arani beamed and headed for the door.

Mandalore laughed. "You kids have fun. Oh, and Arani." She glanced over her shoulder at him. "I'm proud to have you as part of the clan."

Arani gave him a big smile and ran outside into the cold air to meet her new husband.


	15. epilogue

Epilogue

Avalanches all around shook the ground beneath Arani's feet. Cracks in the earth forming massive canyons began to open up around her. Malachor V was collapsing.

_Where is it? Where! _Arani's voice screamed in her head as she desperately searched for her ship. Panic and fear stabbed at her heart like a knife. She was going to die on this wretched planet. Just then, she heard the familiar sound of the Ebon Hawk's engines. It miraculously emerged from one of the giant crags and flew in low to pick her up. She leapt onto the ship's lowered ramp just before the ground she had been standing on disintegrated completely.

Once safely inside the Ebon Hawk, Arani fell to her knees, breathing heavily. She could hardly believe she made it out alive. Bao-dur rushed up to her.

"Arani, thank god. Are you all right?"

She nodded still trying to catch her breath. He helped her to her feet.

"Where's everyone else? Are they ok?" she huffed.

"Yeah, we have everyone. Though I think I'm going to have to make a new remote…"

"Where is Atton taking us?" she asked.

"I don't know and I don't care. As long as we get away from this imploding ball of rock I don't think it matters where he takes us."

Arani left Bao-dur's side and went to speak with the pilot. Sure enough, Atton sat in the pilot's chair, punching buttons and pulling levers in attempt to stabilize the ship.

"Hey," Arani said. Her voice made him jump.

"Arani! If I weren't desperately trying to get us out of here, I would get up and hug you right now. That was way too close for my liking."

"Tell me about it," she mumbled to herself.

"So, where are we off to? It's your call, boss."

She didn't have to think long about her answer. "Dxun."

"You got it." Atton punched in the coordinates for the jungle moon and made the jump to light speed.

* * *

The skies of Dxun were clearer than Arani had ever seen them as the Ebon Hawk broke through the atmosphere. A quilt of light grey patches covered the sky and golden rays from the setting sun occasionally broke through the seams.

Arani barely waited for the ship to land and the ramp to lower before she broke into a run across the soggy, wet ground. Atton and Bao-dur followed behind but she left them in the dust. She turned a corner and stopped. He was there, walking in the opposite direction of her. Probably on patrol, clad in full, red, mandalorian armor. She patiently waited for him to turn around and notice her. She didn't have to wait long.

"Arani!" he exclaimed.

Throwing his blaster aside, they ran at each other and she jumped into his arms. They laughed joyously. He spun her around once or twice before setting her back down on her feet. The jedi slipped off the masked mandalorians helmet revealing his passionate, grey eyes. They met hers for a moment but it wasn't long before he swooped down and kissed her, holding her close in a secure embrace.

"Welcome home, cyar'ika," he said through a smile when they pulled apart.

"It's good to be home, riduur." She grinned up at him. They shared another quick kiss.

At this point, Atton and Bao-dur had caught up to the excited jedi but they did not approach the couple. Tension still lingered between them and the mandalorian. Kelborn noticed and looked over at the two men, the smile fading from his face.

"I see you brought them. Are they here to stay?"

"I don't know. Probably not," Arani replied. "But I certainly am."

Kelborn lit up once again. "Really? You don't have to run around the galaxy looking for dead jedi anymore?"

Arani laughed. "No. My family is here. This is my home. I don't plan on leaving it again any time soon."

Bao-dur and Atton cautiously approached.

"Hello, vode. Good to see you again." Kelborn took on a warm, friendly tone and extended his hand, which they both shook. These were some of his wife's best friends. He was going to try to make them feel like family. Atton and Bao-dur were smiling as well, suggesting to Kelborn that it might be easier than he thought.

The couple walked back to the mandalorian camp with Atton and Bao-dur trailing behind them. Everyone was silent most of the way, though Kelborn was wearing a sneaky grin as if he knew something that the rest of them didn't. His wife noticed his expression by the time they were almost back to the camp.

"What is it?" she said. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

He just continued to smile, lips sealed. Then he stopped before the entrance of the camp. "Look." He pointed ahead on the path.

Arani turned. To her surprise, every mandalorian on the whole moon stood in a group just inside the boundaries of the camp headed by Mandalore who had returned to Dxun before her venture to Malachor V.

The smaller group approached the larger one. "Kelborn," Arani began. "What is this? What's going on?" She couldn't help but smile being so welcomed by her new family.

"Kelborn, would you like to do the honors?" Mandalore asked.

"Of course. Wait right here," he told Arani.

He ran off in the direction of Kex's shop and retrieved a small bundle from one of the containers.

As he ran back towards her, Arani could see clearly what it was; shiny, new, mandalorian armor, a deep navy blue. She smiled ear-to-ear as he passed her the armor. Mandalore pulled a helmet to match her armor seemingly out of nowhere. Mandalore removed his own and handed her the finishing touch to her armor.

"Welcome to the clan, daughter." He gave her a warm smile as he passed her the shiny blue object. Arani accepted it with gratitude.

Realizing the entire group of mandalorians was staring at her expectantly, she placed the helmet on her head like a crown. It wobbled precariously but she knew that with the rest of the armor it would be a perfect fit. The crowd cheered and chanted accepting their sister into the clan. She glanced at Kelborn through the awkward slit in the helmet. He smiled down on her, happier than he had ever been in his life.

He removed the helmet from her head, put his arm around her and softly kissed her forehead.

Surrounded by her husband, "father", "brothers", and closest friends, Arani finally felt the inner peace of being at home.

* * *

Stripped of all her jedi garments, Arani slipped on a black body suit and admired her armor for a moment which lay on the bed in her and Kelborn's room. She smiled and sighed, finally donning the armor she was always meant to wear.

A lightsaber hung next to her blaster on the belt around her waist. Tucking her helmet under her arm, she exited the camp headquarters, heavy metal boots clacking on the floor. Kelborn sat on the rock overlooking the crater where they first met and had many memories together.

Aware of her presence, Kelborn turned around. In the stunning blue armor, she rendered him breathless.

"You look absolutely beautiful," he told her as she walked up to sit next to him.

"Thanks." She smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you, Kelborn."

He wrapped his arms around her and ran his fingers through her soft brown hair.

"I love you too, cyar'ika," he spoke softly in her ear as they looked out over the water at the grey, storm bearing clouds approaching from the horizon.


End file.
